Generator Rex: Made-up Season 5
by YellowAngela
Summary: So you've asked for it. Hope I don't disappoint. So what happens after the Consortium has been dismantled and VanKleiss has been neutralized? Bedlam, pure bedlam. There will be drama, adventure, angst, romance, mystery, comedy, and the kitchen sink. This is slightly darker than season 4 so be warned. Please enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, can I tell you I'm a little scared about this endeavor? As you know sequels don't always do as well as the original. I've had so many positive reviews for my season 4 that I'm afraid to even try season 5. I don't know how many of you are still reading my stories and those who are if you still like them. But I've been promising so I hope you like it. This all comes from my own twisted imagination. I do not own the show or any of the characters. I don't earn any money. I get paid in reviews and making people happy.**

**BTW if you haven't read any of my stories before this, it may be a little confusing. I suggest you start with my Made-up Season 4. I also reference several other stories like Six's Story, Christmas Countdown, New Year, Amusement Park Saga, A Valentine's Day Story Sort Of, and Mystery on the Farm. I have a continuum on my profile if you want to check it out. But here's a quick rundown. In season 4 the Consortium lead by Black Knight tried to reactivate the meta-nanites. Rex and company thwarted them but White Knight as well as Black Knight and Van Kleiss supposedly perished. Six was made head of Providence. Dos came back as an EVO and after clashing with Six disappeared. Now Providence is fighting a more mundane battle called budget cuts. Unfortunately, nothing is mundane in Rex's world.**

**Episode 1**

Hidden in the shadows of trees at the edge of a compound, a silent figure stood quietly scanning the distance. He shifted from foot to foot impatiently.

"Stop that. You don't want to blow your cover." Six's voice hissed in his ear. Rex knew better than to answer. He had to maintain strict radio silence on his end so he opted to grind his teeth instead. Patience was not one of his virtues. They were waiting for some sort of illegal shipment of drugs called N-juice… something that would have a major affect on nanite technology and research according to Holiday.

He had no idea what that meant and he really didn't care. Things had been entirely too stressful lately. Providence was under the microscope. Two _network consultants _were hanging out at base asking questions and scribbling God-knows-what on their clipboards… basically, annoying everyone. But for Rex it was quiet. Holiday and Six had shielded Rex from most of the inquiries. But he was bored. This was something to break the monotony.

Suddenly, two headlights appeared in the distance. Rex tensed. The truck pulled by the gate. It honked once and the gate slid opened. Rex tapped his com link once to signal quietly that the mark had arrived.

He then quickly turned on his stealth suit. Once the suit activated he darted out. He ran out into the clearing and slipped through just as the gate closed.

"Where ya want this?" The driver called to some guards who came out. The guards were carrying AK-47s.

The guard using his gun waved the driver to a long warehouse behind him. The driver shifted his truck into gear and slowly drove it into the building. Rex nimbly walked along the side of the truck unseen.

Once inside the driver hopped out of the cab. Another man walked up to him. They greeted each other.

"Everything here?" The man asked as he walked to the back of the truck with the driver. The driver pulled off his baseball cap and ran his hand through his hair before putting his cap back on.

"Yup. All there. Was close though. Thought I saw some feds following." The driver replied.

The other man looked alarmed. "You didn't lead them here, did you?"

"No! What idiot do you take me for?" The driver growled deeply offended.

"Good." The other man sighed with relief. "If we loose another shipment the boss will have a conniption."

Rex stood very still listening to the conversation. He was trying to figure out if now was the right time to call in the rest of the agents. He tried to quietly make his way around the other side of the truck when he tripped over a pipe. When Rex hit the ground his stealth suit turned off.

"What's a pipe doing in the middle of a warehouse?" Rex groused.

"Crap, some kid's in here! Joe!" The man yelled. Joe came in carrying an AK-47.

Rex guessed that now would be as good as any to give the signal. He touched his comlink. "Six, now!" He quickly dodged the bullets that sprayed from Joe's machine gun.

"Dude, that wasn't very nice!" Rex formed his smack hands and covered himself. He felt the bullets ricochet off them.

"It's that freak from Providence." Someone yelled.

"That's Mr. Freak to you!" Rex retorted.

He heard shouting and the pounding steps of more guards arriving. Rex gritted his teeth. He could be in trouble.

Suddenly, the sound of breaking glass came from overhead. Finally, Six had arrived. Rex could see the green suited ninja with his blades drawn disarming several guards easily. They never got off a single shot. _That's my aggro nanny. _Rex thought proudly. Rex rescinded his smack hands and formed his fun chucks. Time for him to have some fun too.

0o0

Within a few minutes the confrontation was over. The drug dealers lay on the ground either unconscious or with their hands on their heads. Bobo had them at gunpoint while Calan was ordering his men to confiscate certain paraphernalia around the warehouse. Rex was leaning against the wall waiting for everyone to finish so they could leave. He was already planning for tomorrow. He would wake up late, eat, play video games, eat some more, and then go visit Noah after school to play ball or maybe hang out in the mall. If Circe wasn't busy they could go together. Holiday and Six had their hands full with the busybodies from the Committee. He would never admit it out loud but he missed training with Six.

"Rex," Six said in his terse tone. "You remember Miss Hatburn. She wants to talk to you." It was clear that Six was doing this under duress.

"Hello, Rick. It's nice to see you again." She said in a fake sweet voice.

"It's Rex." Rex corrected her.

"What do you usually do here at Providence?" She asked ignoring the correction.

"I…" Rex wasn't sure how to answer that. Lately, all he's been doing was eating and sleeping which probably wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"Rex is Providence's secret weapon." Six answered for him.

Miss Hatburn glared at Six. "I was asking the agent. I'm sure he is capable of answering." She looked expectantly at Rex.

"I'm Providence's secret weapon." Rex parroted Six.

"Against EVO's before, but since that is no longer a threat, what exactly do you do?" She asked again.

"I do things like this." Rex gestured around him.

"That's infrequent. Yet you take up a large portion of Providence's resources." She flipped her clipboard.

"You serious? They don't pay me." Rex looked at the lady incredulously.

"They don't give you a salary." she agreed, "But you do get room and board."

"You want me to pay rent?" Rex joked.

"That would be a start." She acquiesced.

"What? Are you joking?" Rex's eyes widened.

"No, as far as we know we don't have a sense of humor." She said seriously while scribbling furiously on her clipboard. "We'll be in touch." She walked off.

Rex looked at Six in shock. Six shrugged, "Welcome to my world." He replied.

0o0

"Yeah, she then said I had to pay rent! Can you believe that? It's not like I make any money." Rex was on his cell complaining to Noah. "After all I do around here, you think they would be a little more appreciative. Rex's comlink buzzed. "Hold on Noah." Rex put his finger to his ear to hear it better. "Listen, I gotta go. The aggro nanny is calling."

Rex made his way to Six's office. "You rang?" He quipped.

"Well now you know what we've been going through." Six smirked slightly.

"Yeah, what was that all about?" Rex inquired.

"Seems like The Committee wants a reason to cut our funding or completely stop it. We are no longer… cost effective."

"Are we going to be okay?" Rex asked worried.

"You let me worry about that. But I want you to help humor these people." Six shuffled some paper around his desk.

"Like what?" Rex frowned.

"You'll see." Six replied flatly.

Miss Hatburn and Mr. Greene walked into the room.

"Time to make yourself useful, agent." Miss Hatburn sniffed.

Rex gritted his teeth at her tone. But Six's words echoed through his head so all he answered was, "Sure, what do you need me to do?"

"Well, although the confiscation of those drugs was a boon we need to find the source and the only way to do that seems to be to work with elements that are familiar with these operations." Mr. Greene said in a nasally voice.

"You want me to work with a drug dealer?" Rex asked distastefully.

"Not quite." Miss Hatburn smiled. Rex felt a chill run through his spine.

0o0

Rex stood in stun silence as Miss Hatburn stood in front of the bullet-proof glass panel of a padded cell.

"Rick, meet your new partner." Miss Hatburn gestured to the man in the straightjacket.

Rex shot her a look before looking back at the man in the cell.

It was Gatlocke.

The pirate was lying on his cot with his head hanging off the edge and legs straight up against the wall. He was grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

"Hello Rex. Long time no see. Miss me?"

"No way!" Rex sputtered. "He's crazy! I can't work with him."

"Well, you must because if you don't you'll be looking for another place to stay. We are not running a flophouse." Miss Hatburn said sternly.

Rex glared at her then looked at Gatlocke. Still grinning the man winked at him. Rex gritted his teeth. This was going to be painful.

0o0

"So you going to let me out of this jacket? The color clashes with my bandana." Gatlocke was sitting on a bench in back of a transport facing Rex.

"No." Rex growled.

"Tut, tut, Rex, we're supposed to be partners..." He clucked his tongue.

"No we're not. We are not even remotely that. You are going to help me find the source of the drugs and then you are going back to the loony bin where you belong." Rex snarled.

Gatlocke pouted. "And here I was thinking we can go grab a pint and reminisce about the good old days."

"Ok, first of all I'm underage and second you tried to kill me. You are staying in your straightjacket until this is over." Rex snapped.

"Miss Hatburn won't like this. She said we should work together." Gatlocke reminded him.

"Miss Hatburn can kiss my ..." Rex started to say.

Before Rex could finish his thought an explosion hit the transport they were riding in.

Rex and Gatlocke flew off the bench they were sitting on and onto the floor.

"What was that?" Rex asked.

"I'd say it was an explosion. C4 if I'm not mistaken although it could be from a missile. Missiles are hard to hide in your pants, but you can shove a whole block of C4 down your underwear and customs would never know." Gatlocke rambled.

Rex ignored him and jumped out the back of the truck.

Grunts were returning fire on some men dressed in black.

"Why are things never easy?" Rex muttered as he formed his smack hands and punk busters.

He leapt over the barricade the grunts had formed. He smashed into the other side scattering the assailants. They turned their fire onto Rex. He blocked it with his smack hands. He then swung his metal hands knocking over several gunmen. One of them jumped onto his back. Rex yanked the man off and threw him at several of the attackers running at him. From the corner of his eye he saw more approach. He made his bad axes and swung them at the crowd. They scattered but one fired off a shot. Rex made his block party and deflected the shot. He formed his slam cannon and took a chunk of rock from the ground. He fired it at his opponents. They fell back. Rex smirked. That'll show them to attack a Providence transport. Just then a sharp pain ripped through his arm. Rex clutched it and spun around. One of the men was standing behind him with a gun aimed straight at his chest. Rex tried to make a build but the pain prevented him from concentrating. As the man pulled the trigger a red flash knocked the gun from his hands. Then another red flash knocked him over. He lay on the ground unmoving.

Rex gaped and suddenly saw Gatlocke with the energy cannon on his cybernetic arm raised. Smoke was coming from it and he was grinning.

Somehow he had gotten out of the straightjacket and had saved Rex.

0o0

"You're welcome."

Rex stayed silent. A makeshift bandage was wrapped around his arm.

"What you never learn any manners? The proper response is you're welcome." Gatlocke looked offended.

"Bite me." Rex growled.

"I'm not familiar with that as a proper response to _Thank you._"

Rex gritted his teeth.

"So partner, where should we start." Gatlocke grinned changing the subject.

"Why did those people attack us?" Rex narrowed his eyes at Gatlocke.

"I don't know. But shouldn't we be concerned with our mission." Gatlocke gave an unconcerned shrug.

"This is _my mission_ you're just an annoying jerk I'm towing around."

"Touchy. Well where do you want to start?" Gatlocke sniffed.

"Why don't you tell me?" Rex replied acerbically.

"Oh let's kill two birds with one stone." Rex did not like the glint in his eye.

Next thing Rex knew he was standing in front of a seedy looking bar.

"You're kidding me?" Rex eyed the pirate.

"Do I kid?" Gatlocke scoffed.

Rex and Gatlocke walked into the bar.

"There's a joke here somewhere." Rex mumbled.

Gatlocke grinned from ear to ear." Garson, give me your finest brew."

All the patrons turned around and glared at them. The bar went silent as Rex and Gatlocke walked toward the bar. Gatlocke sat at a stool. The bartender poured some unsavory liquid into a mug and slid it in front of Gatlocke. He looked at Rex.

"No thanks." Rex muttered.

"Come on don't be such a stick in the mud. They don't card here." Gatlocke raised the mug to Rex's face.

Rex glared at him.

"Fine. Don't need to throw a hissy fit." He put the mug back down and held his hands in mock surrender.

"Just get the information." Rex snapped.

"Relax. You don't go barging into these things. You need to ease your way into it." When he said _ease_ he waved his hand. "But you're so cute when you're impatient." He tried to ruffle Rex's hair.

"Touch me and your new name's Stumpy." Rex growled.

"Ohhh someone's in a foul mood. Well you're not going to get information being a grumpy puss. You need to be friendly. Like this." He grabbed his mug and headed to the table with three of the largest, surliest people Rex had ever seen.

"What are you doing?" Rex grabbed Gatlocke's arm.

"I'm getting your information." He said cheerfully. He pulled his arm from Rex's grasp.

"Hello there, how dee do? Mind if I join you, gents? Lovely evening." Gatlocke prattled on unaware or unconcerned that the _gents_ had started pulling out an assortment of sharp objects. "Getting ready for a night of pillaging? Personally I prefer the early mornings. You know what they say the early bird gets the worm. Not a literal worm mind you. Those are disgusting buggers." He draped an arm over the one with a scar running down his cheek. "Tell me fellas, do you know anything about where shipments of N-juice come from? Want to get a piece of that action, if you know what I mean."

Scar-face disdainfully picked Gatlocke's arm off his shoulder. "Beat it Bean Sprout."

"Ohh, Bean Sprout. Never been called that. That's different. Usually it's crazy, insane…" As he continued Gatlocke developed a wild look on his face. His grin became maniacal. Even the three thugs felt something different and became nervous. Suddenly, Gatlocke's arm changed into a blade. He slammed it down on the table cutting it in half. The other patrons of the bar fled. The three thugs picked up their weapons. The bartender took cover under his bar. Rex groaned. He ran over and grabbed Gatlocke's blade arm.

"Are you stupid or crazy?" Rex was losing patience.

Gatlocke didn't even turn to look at him. His grin widened. "A little from column A and a little from column B." He yanked himself from Rex's grip and charged the three men.

The men hardly had a chance to react. Gatlocke knocked a machete from one of the thug's hand with his blade and punched him with his other hand. As he was disarming the first thug, he also simultaneously kicked a firearm from the another's hand. Then after punching the first, he kicked the second in the head. He grabbed the third and head-butted him. Still grinning he grabbed the one with the scar by his hair and held his blade under his chin. "As I was saying… where did the shipment come from?"

"I don't know where it comes, comes from." The man whimpered. Gatlocked pressed the blade closer. "But the shipment arrives by plane at a private airstrip 20 miles from here."

"There, that wasn't so hard." Gatlocke withdrew his blade. He let go of his hair and patted his head. He got up and walked to Rex. "And that's how it's done." He said smugly.

Rex looked around at the destroyed bar. "I could have done that."

"Yes, but you wouldn't have done it with style." He waved his hands grandly as he walked out the bar.

Rex walked over the bodies and followed after Gatlocke.

0o0

Six walked into Holiday's lab. He saw that she was hard at work at her computer.

He cleared his throat. Startled Holiday turned around. When she saw him she relaxed and got up. A small smile tugged at his lips as she stepped into his embrace. She kissed him lightly and snuggled into his chest.

"I wish we could stay like this." She murmured into his chest.

Six's smile broadened briefly before he schooled his features back to normal. He gently pulled away. Holiday gave a deep sigh.

"Everything alright?" Six asked allowing some concern into his voice.

"Actually, I have something to show you." Holiday wouldn't look him in the eye. Not a good sign.

"What's wrong?" Six tensed.

Holiday sighed again. "I ran some test on the blood Dos left on your blades."

"And?" Six prompted.

"Many of the active chemical components match the drug that reactivated Circe's powers." Holiday continued. "They are so similar it can only mean one thing."

"They came from the same source." Six guessed.

Holiday nodded. "It gets worse. The shipment of drugs that Rex and Sarah intercepted at the amusement park and the shipment confiscated from yesterday also have the same exact components."

"This means…" Six furrowed his brow.

"It means someone has changed the drug given to Circe into the new _it_ drug for the streets." Holiday finished tiredly. "Six, the results could be catastrophic if this drug ever actually hits the streets. There's no telling how this drug will interact with individuals' nanites. It could give them a mild power boost to becoming a full rampaging EVO! What's worse is that it's highly addictive. This could be as bad as the first nanite event." Holiday rubbed her eyes.

"This could be bad. But do you think anyone would be stupid enough to take this drug?" Six asked.

Holiday looked at him. "People already know that the current drugs out there are dangerous yet they still take it! All you need is for someone to take this drug one time to go full EVO. And since it is a drug that has corrupted the nanites I don't know if Rex can cure them all or how it might affect him in the long run."

"Point taken. On the other hand, this maybe the thing we can use to convince The Committee to continue our funding." Six said thoughtfully.

Holiday looked at Six in shock, "I can't believe you'd use this crisis like that!"

Six internally sighed. "Rebecca, "He said gently, "There are over 10,000 people dependent on Providence to provide them with a paycheck and home. Some with no other skills other than this."

Rebecca knew he was correct but somehow it still didn't seem right. She looked away with tears in her eyes. It hurt Six to know that she was troubled and there was nothing he could do about it. Sometimes business was as ruthless as being a mercenary.

"I..I'm sorry, Six. I know you're doing your best to keep us afloat. I just wish…" She stopped as her throat closed up.

Six carefully gathered her into his arms again. He couldn't solve all her problems but at least now he could comfort her. Rebecca buried her face into his chest and breathed in his scent. She loved him so much that it scared her sometimes. She had to trust that Six will always do the right thing. She only hoped their definition of _right_ was the same.

**So when I said I would have more time in the summer, I, like another writer, had forgotten that I had other obligations. I will try to update regularly but I won't promise anything. I have an outline of where I want this to go but I find that I keep changing it as the story progresses. Sorry for you Gatlocke fans if I didn't get his voice right. I watched his episodes over and over trying to get his personality down but it was hard. So forgive me if it wasn't quite right. Hope you liked it. Comments would be nice.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you KakaAnko, Rainbow Colours, and Guest for your comments. I really appreciate you taking the time out to review. Thank you Supermach for following and everyone else who's reading. Don't own anything.**

**Episode 2**

Rex was on his stomach on a hill overlooking the airstrip. He adjusted his goggles so he could see it better. "Looks well guarded." He observed.

"That's where looks can be deceiving." Gatlocke smirked as he looked up from his binoculars. He pointed at the tower. "The guy on duty is reading a magazine. The guards patrolling the perimeter travel together so the back is left unguarded for at least five minutes. There are no cameras. The man at the gate is watching a movie. Amateurs."

Rex looked at him, "You got all that in 10 minutes?"

"Of course. I'm a professional." He said proudly.

"A professional crook." Rex muttered.

"You wound me Rex. You know what your problem is?" Gatlocke asked haughtily.

"The fact that I'm here with you." Rex deadpanned.

"Ha, ha, always with the jokes. No your problem is that you don't see the big picture… What's in it for me?" Gatlocke pointed to himself.

"I'd rather help others." Rex stated firmly.

"Your notions while noble will get you killed. At least if I die, it will be for me. That and I'm taking the lot with me." Gatlocke resumed looking through his binoculars.

Rex shook his head. "I'm not arguing with crazy. Let's just go in there, get the information and vamos."

"Is that Spanish? Oh, I always wanted to learn Spanish. Say something else." Gatlocke said eagerly.

"Buy some tapes. Now let's go." Rex snapped pulling Gatlocke up by the scruff of his shirt.

0o0

Gatlocke walked to the front gate humming a tune. The guard glanced up for a second and then went back to his show. When he realized there was a man heading his way, his head shot up and he fumbled for his firearm. Gatlocke grinned and changed his arm into an energy gun. The guard jumped out of the way just as a flash of red blew up the guardhouse. Humming still, he sauntered onto the airstrip. Several men rushed out with their guns blazing. Gatlocke formed both arms into guns and fired off shots at them while smiling and humming.

Meanwhile, Rex snuck into the control tower. There was no one there. No doubt all hands went to stop Gatlocke. He put his hand on the computer. Blue lines spread throughout the whole unit. The computer hummed to life. On the screen a stream of data flashed before Rex's eyes. His eyes moved rapidly reading it. He frowned. The information he needed wasn't there but there was some other interesting bits of data that Holiday may find interesting. He pulled out a data rod. He placed the data rod into the computer and downloaded the information. As he was finishing up, he heard an explosion from outside. Gatlocke was finally doing something useful. He was about to leave when he saw from a distance a plane approaching. Rex stood rooted to the spot. It must be another delivery. They had to stop it! Rex placed the data rod in the safe pouch around his neck and ran outside. When he stepped outside, it looked like a war zone. Vehicles were overturned and smoke poured out from them. Unconscious bodies littered the field. Gatlocke was laughing as he randomly fired his energy cannon.

"Hey! You can stop now. We got what we need." Rex yelled.

"Oh, the fun just started." Gatlocke had just spotted the plane. The small plane noticed the smoke and had started to turn around. "Oh no you don't!" Gatlocke fired and hit its tail. The plane started going down.

"What are you doing?" Rex cried in horror. The plane was going to crash. He formed his boogie pack and flew to the plummeting plane. Forming his smack hands he grabbed the wings and pulled up. Even if they were drug dealers he couldn't let them die. Using every ounce of power he had, he pulled until they were flying straight. He then slowly descended to the runway. Once he felt the wheels touch the ground he withdrew his boogie pack. He flipped himself over to the front of the plane. He formed his punk busters and using his smack hands he pushed against the nose of the plane to stop it. He felt his punk busters burn as it made contact with the runway. Sparks, concrete, and dirt flew around him. He closed his eyes and pushed with all his might to stop the plane. The plane finally slowed and stopped. When he opened his eyes he was knee deep in dirt. His punk busters had dug into the ground. Using his smack hands he pushed himself up out of the trench. His builds fell apart. He weakly stood up, putting his hand on the plane to steady himself. He glared at Gatlocke who was using his blades to slice open the small plane's door. He pulled out two black cases.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Rex asked through gritted teeth.

"Just taking advantage of a business opportunity." Gatlocke stated as he opened the cases. "Ah yes, these will fetch a handsome reward and or ransom."

"Put them down." Rex growled.

"Why? Who's going to make me? You? You can barely stand." Gatlocke sneered.

"This was a set up. You knew the plane was coming with more drugs. You didn't care about getting the information." Rex accused him.

"You Providence people are so naïve. Did you think that I would just play nice and not expect anything in return?"

"The attack on the transport was planned. They were there to tell you about the next drug shipment."

"You're so smart, Rex. Too bad you won't live to tell anyone." Gatlocke raised his energy cannon.

"You're right and wrong. I am smart but I'm not going anywhere." Rex smirked.

Gatlocke lowered his cannon a fraction and gave him a quizzical look.

A sonic blast knocked his cybernetic arm off. Gatlocke screamed in pain. He dropped the cases and clutched the spot where the cannon use to be. He looked angrily in the direction of the shot.

Circe stood with her arms crossed and a disdainful expression on her face.

"Nice shot." Rex grinned.

Gatlocke's anger melted and his eyes widened. "Who's this? Your girlfriend? You brought your girlfriend? She was following us the whole time? Oh that is so cute. If I knew it was a double date I would have brought someone along too. What's with the hair though? That's so last Tuesday."

Circe frowned. "Where's the mute button?"

"Oh she's sarcastic too! I love it." Gatlocke squealed.

"Seriously, how do I make him stop? Unless you enjoy listening to him jabber on." Circe asked Rex.

"You don't think I've tried? I just tune him out." Rex muttered.

"That was hurtful." Gatlocke pouted. "But I think this will make me feel better." He brought his other energy cannon and shot at Rex and Circe. Circe leapt out of the way and Rex made his block party which immediately shattered.

When Rex got back up he saw Gatlocke was running away with one of the bags. He jumped into a jeep and drove off.

Circe pushed herself off the floor. Rex ran over and helped her up.

"You okay?" He asked her.

"I'm fine. Man, he's even more annoying than you said." She brushed the dust off her clothes.

Rex formed his rex ride. "Get on. We gotta stop him."

"With pleasure." Circe growled as she climbed in back of the bike.

0o0

Jimmy's eyes darted around the park. He nervously tightened his grip on his schoolbag and made a run for the gate. All of a sudden he fell. He looked down and realized he had tripped over a skateboard.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" McKelly slowly walked over to Jimmy.

"H..h..hey, McKelly." Jimmy stuttered.

"W..w..what's the matter Jimmy-boy. Got lost on your way home?" McKelly asked in an exaggerated tone. The skaters surrounded Jimmy and laughed.

"I..I..I d..d..don't want any tr..tr..tr…trouble." Jimmy tried to get up and leave.

"Well, you've found trouble now." Shades shoved Jimmy back on the floor. "You're on our turf."

"P..p..please, I'm j…j…just g..going h…h…home." Jimmy's stutter was getting worse as he got more agitated.

"Sure you can go home, once you pay the fee for entering our territory." McKelly looked down his nose at him.

"I…I d…d…don't h…h…have any..any…anything." Jimmy tried to get up again.

McKelly picked him up by the front of his shirt. "Well, fellas I think we should run him up the flagpole. Whatcha think?"

The others laughed.

"Put him down!"

The boys whirled around.

McKelly scowled. "It's just the new girl. Get lost."

Kenwyn stepped into the clearing. "It wasn't a request. I said put him down."

"Or what?" Dunky sneered.

Kenwyn didn't answer. In a flash Kenwyn spun kicked and punched through the group.

A minute later the skaters were on the floor groaning. Kenwyn picked up Jimmy.

"You all right?" She asked the boy.

"Y..y..yeah, thanks." He muttered not looking at her.

"Gotta be more careful. Don't want to accidently step on trash." Kenwyn lightly kicked one of them with her toe.

Jimmy just nodded and ran off. Kenwyn looked after him and sighed. Three months into this undercover operation and all she had been doing was keeping bullies in line. She stepped over the skaters and returned to her spot. She supposed there was no point. If the dealer was there he would have been scared off by her actions. But she couldn't let those skaters get away with another round of their childish games at the expense of the weaker kids. She gritted her teeth. She felt like going back and taking out her frustration on the skaters but knew that would be just as immature. Sighing she gathered her stuff and headed back to her temporary base…

…which happened to be at Noah's house. She walked through the front door.

"Noah, is that you?" Kenwyn heard Noah's mom call from the kitchen.

"No, ma'am. It's me." Kenwyn answered with a faint made-up accent.

"Oh Kenwyn, how are you? How was school?" Noah's mom walked out to greet the girl.

"It was fine." She replied. "Gotta go, I have a lot of homework."

"You know as an exchange student you should do more cultural things than just study. How about this weekend we take you to the county fair." Noah's mother smiled.

"Oh, well, that would be ah…" Kenwyn tried to think up an excuse.

"It's settled then." Noah's mom went back into the kitchen.

Kenwyn sighed. She'd have to talk to Noah later about this situation. Right now she had to contact Providence.

0o0

Jimmy ran but not to home. He came to an alley way.

"H…h…hello?" He stammered nervously.

"You got the money?" The voice made him jump.

"Y..y..yeah." He fidgeted.

"Well, let's see it." The voice snapped impatiently.

Startled Jimmy dug into his school bag. He pulled out a wad of cash and handed it to the figure.

Jimmy fidgeted again as the figure hidden in the shadows counted out the money.

"This is only half." The voice snarled.

"I..i..t's all I got. P..p..please I need it!" Jimmy begged.

"Look, I'm a nice guy. I'll give it you the half dose."

"No!"

"No, Jimmy? Maybe you don't want any."

"N…n..no, I'm sorry." He mumbled eyes downcast.

The figure rummaged through its pockets. "Catch." He threw a vial at Jimmy.

Jimmy caught it.

"Bring me the rest and you can have the rest." The figure melted back into the shadows.

With shaking hands Jimmy uncorked the vial and downed the contents. He panted for a few seconds but then his breathing became more even. His eyes opened and there was a faint white glow. Then it faded away. Jimmy picked up his school bag and exited the alleyway with a more confident stride.

The next morning at school Kenwyn saw Jimmy.

"Hey Jimmy. You okay."

"Yeah I'm fine." He said sharply.

Kenwyn paused. Jimmy seemed different. He had lost his stutter and the air of nervousness about him. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I said I'm fine." He abruptly brushed her off.

Kenwyn didn't like this. She glanced over to Noah who also noticed the exchange. He nodded slightly and Kenwyn went after Jimmy.

Jimmy seemed to be on a mission. He went from classroom to classroom. Finally he got to the cafeteria. He looked around and spotted the skaters.

"McKelly!" He bellowed.

McKelly looked up unconcerned. "Look it's Jimmy-boy. W..w…what's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" He and the skaters all laughed.

Kenwyn was about to tell them off when suddenly her jaw dropped open. In fact everyone in the cafeteria's mouth hit the floor. The skaters froze in their spots. Their eyes grew so wide that the whites of their eyes were showing.

Jimmy had began to morph. The scrawny little boy turned gray. His shirt ripped as he grew larger and the muscles on his arm enlarged. His feet popped out of his shoes and his legs grew as large as tree trunks. When the transformation was complete, he roared. "McKelly!"

McKelly snapped out of his stupor and ran. Students gave the monster a wide berth. The creature that was Jimmy jumped on a table snapping it in half and chased after McKelly.

Noah had arrived when the commotion started and was gaping at the scene before him.

"At least his pants stayed on." Noah said weakly.

Kenwyn shot him a look before running after them. Noah quickly ran to find a quiet place to inform Providence.

0o0

"There he is!" Circe pointed at the distance.

"Yeah, I see him." Rex yelled above his engine. He put on an extra burst of speed to catch up. Gatlocke noticed and drove off the road into the empty dessert.

"Hang on!" Rex called to Circe as he also jumped off the pave road into the dust dessert.

Just as they were within several meters of him, something hit Rex's wheel. They spun out of control. Circe jumped off and flipped landing on one knee. Rex skidded as his rex ride fell apart. He slid to a stop. Pulling off his goggles he looked up. Gatlocke was standing in the jeep with his maniacal grin. Behind him was a small army dressed in black, the same men who had attacked them earlier.

"Hello, Rex. Meet my new Anarchists!" Gatlocke laughed.

"46, 47, 48, 49, 50." Rex counted. "I think we're in trouble." He said to Circe as she came over to help him up. Gripping his arm Circe assessed the situation. "No kidding. I have to say Rex, you certainly know how to show a girl a good time."

Rex grinned apologetically. "I promise after this I'll take you somewhere nice."

"Hmph, if there is a next time." Circe looked out over the army. "I'll take the left side, you take the right."

"Hey, there's more on the right." Rex protested.

Circe rolled her eyes. "Fine, you take the left and I'll take the right. But you have to deal with motor mouth over there."

"Deal!" Rex formed his smack hands and charged.

"Your other left!" Circe yelled.

"I knew that. I was just testing you!" Rex yelled back changing his trajectory.

Circe shook her head and concentrated before letting off a sonic blast. It knocked down a dozen men. The rest came after her. Rex blocked the gunfire with his smack hands before kicking the men down. Then he formed his fun chucks and swung them around. He managed to knock down a few but there were too many. They pushed Rex back. He kept swinging his fun chucks and kept them at bay. Suddenly he backed into someone.

"Any bright ideas?" Circe asked.

"Working on it." Rex answered.

"Work faster!" Circe stated grimly.

"Okay, got one. Cover me." Rex formed his smack hands. He started spinning them to make his combat drill. He aimed at the ground and dug.

"What on earth are you doing?" Circe looked in disbelief as Rex disappeared down the hole. Then she remembered that he said to cover him. She concentrated and then spinning around created another sonic blast. The resulting sound wave knocked down some of the men in the front. But the ones in the back started advancing. Circe hoped that whatever Rex was doing he'd do it quick. As the Anarchists drew closer, Circe got into another fighting stance. But before she could do anything the ground started to rumble. The men looked around confused. The earth beneath their feet crumbled and the Anarchists fell screaming below. A giant crater surrounded Circe.

Rex crawled up the side grinning. He grabbed the hand Circe offered.

"Nice." Circe said genuinely impressed.

"I thought so." Rex said smugly.

"Wait! Where's Gatlocke?" Circe looked around.

Rex also looked and frowned. He was gone. Rex gritted his teeth. Miss Hatburn is not going to be happy.

Rex formed his boogie pack. He grabbed Circe by the waist. Circe wrapped an arm around his neck.

"Now what?" Circe looked at Rex.

"I'm going to find him and get that case back." Rex had that determined look on his face. "I'm not letting him get away." With that he flew into the air with Circe along for the ride.

**What do you think? **


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you (KakaAnko, Rainbow Colours, and Guest)again for your comments. Thank you Dimmension Traveler for reviewing. Waiting for an update to your story:)Thank you Lavz for favoriting and following so many of my stories. I'm flattered and hope this meets your expectations. This is sort of my minor tribute to the World Cups. Yeah, we lost, no surprise. There's no rhyme or reason to when I'm updating. It's whenever I finish an episode. I still do not own anything.**

**Episode 3**

Kenwyn found EVO-Jimmy and McKelly in the gym. The monster had McKelly cornered up in the bleachers.

"Oh crud." Kenwyn muttered looking around for something she could use as a weapon.

The only thing was a hamper full of soccer balls. "Guess they'll have to do." She grabbed one and used her knee to kick it up so that she could do a header. The ball flew at the EVO. It hit him square in the back of his head. The monster turned around and glared at Kenwyn.

"Stay out of this." The thing-that-use-to-be-Jimmy growled.

"Jimmy! Don't do it! He's not worth it!" Kenwyn tried to reason with him.

"Oh, it'll be worth it when I finish pummeling him!" The EVO turned to look at his victim.

McKelly was literally shaking in his skater boots. "Hey, Jimmy, can't you take a joke?"

EVO-Jimmy didn't answer. He reached down and pulled up one of the bleacher seats. He held it like a club. McKelly closed his eyes and held his hands up as the board came down. But when nothing happened he opened one eye. Jimmy was no longer paying any attention to him. His attention was towards Kenwyn. She had two soccer balls in her hand. He saw that there was another ball lodged in the bleacher seat and the broken board lying next to it. McKelly scrambled to get out. He fell off the top bleacher onto the floor. He pushed himself up and ran out the back door.

Kenwyn and the monster stood facing each other. She threw one of the soccer balls up. As it hung in the air she leapt up and did a roundhouse kick. The ball flew and hit EVO-Jimmy in his face. The creature roared and charged Kenwyn. She dodged and using the other ball whacked the EVO in the back of his head. He staggered but managed to find his footing. He spun around just in time for another ball in the face. When the ball bounced off, Kenwyn caught it and bounced it again off his face. In fact, she relentlessly bounced the ball again and again off the EVO's face. Jimmy stumbled backwards. Kenwyn grabbed another ball and rolled it under his foot. When he stepped on it he slipped and fell backwards. He slammed his head hard against the ground. He lay unmoving. Kenwyn cautiously approached him with the ball still in her hand. When she was sure he was unconscious, she dropped the soccer ball and bent over him.

It was then Providence agents arrived at the scene.

"We'll take it from here." Tuck said loudly to Kenwyn. Then in hush tones he asked, "Are you okay?"

Kenwyn gave an imperceptible nod. Tuck returned it with one of his own.

He then said at a higher volume, "Okay, civilian please clear the area. Agents at work."

Cricket was securing the EVO with Caesar's new restraints that look similar to a cocoon. Two other agents then loaded the EVO onto the stretcher.

"Don't hurt him." Kenwyn muttered to no one in particular.

Tuck turned a little and whispered, "You better get out before your cover's blown. As it is, this'll be hard to explain."

Kenwyn turned to leave. She was met outside the gym by Noah, Claire, Annie and Federico.

"Hey, you okay?" Noah asked.

Kenwyn nodded. "I need to get back to base. Can you guys cover for me?"

Claire and Annie glanced at each other.

"Sure we can." Annie said confidently.

"Thanks, now how do I get out of here without being noticed?" She wondered out loud.

"Leave that to me." Federico said.

A few minutes later Federico walked into the boys' restroom on the first floor with an oversized duffle bag. He gave a quick furtive look around before opening the window and throwing the duffle out the window.

The duffel landed on some bushes outside of the school.

"Oooph!" The duffel moved and a finger came out the edge of the zipper and unzipped the bag. Kenwyn burst out gasping for air. "He didn't have to leave his socks in there." She muttered under her breath. She carefully looked through the bushes. She didn't have to worry about the Providence agents but she didn't want to get caught by any teachers or cops that were now milling around the school grounds.

She made a mad dash for the street and hid between two parked cars. Looking around again she rushed across the street. She rounded the corner so that no one could see her from the school. She bent over and tapped the logo on her shoe twice. Wheels immediately popped out from the bottom of her soles. She quickly skated back to Noah's house. Once there she ran to the back where a camouflaged motorcycle was hidden. She jumped on and rode off to Providence.

0o0

Rex and Circe scanned the ground for Gatlocke.

"You know he could have gone in any direction." Circe told Rex gently.

"Yeah, I know, but…" Rex hated that Gatlocke would get one over him. Just when he was about to suggest that they give up Circe tightened her grip.

"Look there." Rex followed where Circe was pointing and saw a jeep barreling through the canyon.

"Gotcha!" Rex grinned and swooped down. As they flew over the vehicle, Circe let go and landed in the back seat of the jeep. Gatlcoke must have anticipated the move because he swerved suddenly to the left. Circe lost her balance and flew out.

"Hey!" She managed to get out before tumbling head over heels. When she stopped she got up and gave Rex the thumbs up sign to let him know she was okay.

Rex saw what happened and after making sure she was okay, angrily formed his smack hands. He took a nosedive directly into the jeep's engine. The impact was so hard that Gatlocke flew out head first out of the car. He did a forward roll into a stop still clutching the case.

"That's why you should always wear a seat belt…in case of raining metal fists." Rex growled. It was then he noticed that somehow, Gatlocke had gotten his blown-off cybernetic arm replaced.

Gatlocke got up and brushed himself. He glared at Rex and through gritted teeth said, "Come on Rex, both you and I know you are not appreciated at Providence. What loyalty do you owe them, especially those nuisances from higher up calling the shots?"

"None of your business." Rex greatly disliked the consultants but if Six said to humor them, he would humor them.

"Well, I certainly don't owe anyone anything." Gatlocke snarled. He held up a vial.

"What are you doing?" Rex looked in shock at the pirate.

"You're so smart, you should know." Gatlocke got a wild gleam in his eye.

"Gatlocke, don't. You don't know what it could do to you." Rex had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"At this point, do you think it really matters? I know Providence will be here soon. I won't go back to my comfy little cell." Then in a flash he downed the vial.

"No!" Rex darted to stop him but it was too late.

Gatlocke's grin twisted and grew grotesque. He hunched over. His back looked like it was bubbling over, twisting and growing. As his body mass increased his cybernetic arms fell off and claws grew from the stumps. His clothes ripped and a pair of leather wings sprouted from his back. His face grew longer and his teeth sharper. All the while his glowing white eyes never left Rex's stunned face. When the transformation was complete, it gave a ear-ripping shriek and flew into the air. Rex gawked at the sight.

"At least his pants are still on." Circe said wryly. She had limped her way over to Rex.

Rex snapped out of his daze long enough to look at her still with his mouth open. He pulled on his goggles while the twin turbo engines came out of his back. He flew high into the air after the creature.

Circe sighed. She clicked on her comlink. "You're not going to like this. " She began.

0o0

Miss Hatburn's icy stare would wither most men but Six was not most men. His mirrored shades hid the contempt he held for the consultants and he did not back down from the woman's glare.

"Care to explain, Agent Six, how a simple mission to gather information had deteriorated into this debacle?" She asked coldly. The consultants had just learned about the bar fight. Now Rex and Gatlocke had gone missing.

"May I remind you that it was you who suggested trusting a certifiable psycho to help gather this information?" Six said with a slight edge.

"I don't want to hear excuses. You had better start producing results or else the Committee will find someone else who will." Miss Hatburn said arrogantly.

"You are welcome to try." Six sat back with his fingers laced together. "But you will have a hard time finding anyone who knows enough to handle this operation."

"You flatter yourself, Agent Six. There are plenty of people who can do your job." Mr. Greene interjected.

"As I've said, be my guest. And until you appoint a new head, you'll excuse me while I go do my job." Six got up. "Agent Bobo will escort you back to your transport."

Miss Hatburn narrowed her eyes. "Are you throwing us out?"

"Of course not. I'm merely suggesting that you vacate the premises on your own volition or perhaps Agent Bobo can convince you it is in your best interest to go."

Bobo grinned, "You know what angry chimps do in the wild?" He wiggled his eyebrows at the two consultants.

"This will not look good in my report." She threatened Six.

"So be it." Six nodded. "Good day Miss Hatburn, Mr. Greene." Six walked out of his office. The two consultants looked at each other than at Bobo.

An agent passed by Six's office when he heard the primal scream of a chimp. There were sounds of footsteps running and two people stumbled out of the office in a hurry. They raced down the hall in a most undignified manner. A few seconds later Bobo with a wicked grin plastered on his face came out of the office running after the two fleeing figures.

"Hmph, serves them right." The agent muttered before continuing to his destination.

0o0

Kenwyn stood in the observation room with Caesar. Jimmy-EVO roared and kicked a scientist who had gotten too close to his feet. He flew back against the wall. The grunts ran over and tranquilized him again.

"Is he going to be okay?" She quietly asked Caesar.

"Oh, yes, he'll have some bruising on his backside and a whale of a headache but he should be fine after some aspirin and a nap."

It took Kenwyn a second to realize what Caesar was talking about. "No I mean about the EVO!" Kenwyn asked agitated.

"Oh him, his vital signs are normal… for an EVO." Caesar checked the monitor.

"Can you change him back?" Kenwyn looked at the EVO who was starting to settle down.

"We don't know yet, Kenwyn. We need to run some more tests." Holiday answered as she walked in. She went over to the window. "Tell me again what happened."

"I'm not sure. The skaters were giving him a hard time yesterday. This morning he came in like a different person. He went around looking for McKelly and when he found him… he just changed." Kenwyn tried to be succinct.

"I was afraid of this." Holiday said softly. "It's starting."

"What is?" Kenwyn asked.

"Kenwyn, I know your mission was to seek out the known drug dealers in the school. But we're afraid we didn't tell you why." Holiday explained. "There's this new drug we were hoping we could keep off the streets. It's made of chemicals that can activate dormant nanites."

Kenwyn gasped. "It makes EVOs?"

"In a manner of speaking." Caesar answered this time. "But the drug or N-juice as it is called is actually unpredictable. For different people, different things can happen. Some people may be able to control it, some may go rampaging, and some may do a combination of the two."

Kenwyn rubbed her temple. "I've never heard of N-juice. And now it's on the streets?"

Holiday nodded sadly. "Our first victim."

"I could hardly call him a victim if he willingly participated." Caesar corrected.

Holiday shot him a glare. "He's just a kid. He was not properly informed about what could happen."

"I think he more than realize what could happen. It sounded like he wanted the drug as a means of revenge." Caesar said calmly as he adjusted his equipment. "Regardless, we need to find a way to reverse this."

Holiday decided not to argue with the young scientist especially since her sister was now looking at her. Beverly had been standing quietly in the corner not making a sound.

She had been observing the whole scene before her. Rebecca had noticed that Beverly was uncharacteristically quiet after she came back from visiting Rex and Caesar's family farm in Argentina. She couldn't get Beverly to tell her what happened. Rex had only told her that they had solved a mystery. Maybe one day she'll get the full story out of one of them.

Before Rebecca can further think about her sister, Six and Calan walked in. Kenwyn immediately snapped to attention and saluted them.

"At ease soldier." Calan nodded to Holiday. Kenwyn put her arms behind her back in a relax stance. "I read the report form Tuck. I want the full details on my desk in an hour."

"Yes, sir!" Kenwyn said looking straight ahead.

Holiday looked at Six. She could tell he was tense. She walked over to him and slipped her arm through his. "Everything all right." She felt his arm relax at her touch.

Six gave her a wry smile. "I may be looking for another job soon."

"What?" Holiday stepped back to look at him.

"Those stupid consultants have holes in their heads if they think they can replace you." Calan snarled.

"It's okay, Calan. It doesn't affect me either way but we better get this resolved quickly because you never know what they'll decide." Six said tersely.

"Sirs, I was able to locate all the dealers at the school and investigate them but none of them has this type of drug." Then in a softer voice she said, "I've failed."

"No, you haven't." Calan said sharply. "This is a completely new. You couldn't have known about it before hand."

"But I may have compromised my position when I had to stop that EVO." Kenwyn said.

"That could be a problem." Calan agreed.

"I can go." Beverly interrupted.

Holiday startled looked at her sister. "What? No Beverly!"

"And why not? I'm a teenager. I can blend in. No one knows me there. I could pose as a user. I'm sure I can figure out who has the drug." Beverly insisted.

Holiday looked pleadingly at Six. Six was stuck between a rock and a hard place. What Beverly purposed was actually a good idea. Kenwyn had already establish herself but Beverly would be someone new.

"Actually, that's a good idea." Calan ventured. Six was grateful that Calan was the one who said it.

Rebecca shot him a death look. Calan held up his hands. "Dr. Holiday, it'll be relatively safe. Kenwyn will be there as is Noah. She's not going into any place dangerous. She'll be at school."

Rebecca bit her lip. She could see the sense in it. But it was her baby sister. She wanted to keep her safe and out of _any_ danger.

"Rebecca, please." Beverly pleaded. "I'm a big girl. I can't hide under a rock for the rest of my life."

Caesar cleared his throat. "Beverly is right. If we want to find out who's distributing N-juice, we need a… fresh perspective."

"You mean bait." Rebecca said with some bitterness.

"It's not up to you." Beverly crossed her arms and looked obstinately at Rebecca. She looked at Six, who again felt trapped, for support.

Luckily, for him Rebecca backed down first. "Fine," Rebecca said to Six's relief. "But you need to carry a tracker and a panic button. Plus you must take that basic self-defense course with Six."

"Of course." Beverly looked relieved. She hated fighting with Rebecca.

Rebecca turned on her heels and left. Six glanced at her retreating figure.

"So it's settled. Beverly, tomorrow at 0600 hours I will meet you in training room 2. Calan, set her up with the necessary equipment. Make arrangements for her to stay around the school. I will get the paper work done so it looks like she's a transfer student. Kenwyn, see if any of the dealers you found might have gotten their hands on the drug or knows where to get this N-juice. Then brief Beverly on your findings so she'll know where to start. You're all dismissed."

Six quickly left and went after Rebecca. He caught up with her in her lab. She was standing hunched over her desk with both hands gripping the sides. "Are you okay?" Six asked.

"No! And why didn't you stop her?" She spun around eyes flashing with anger.

Six internally winced. Choosing his words carefully he said slowly, "So you want me to stop what may be our only chance at preventing this epidemic before it starts?"

"Yes! No! I mean… ugh," Rebecca turned around with her arms crossed.

Six waited. He watched as her shoulders relaxed. He knew her anger was abating.

"She'll be safe." Six said.

"Can you guarantee that?" Rebecca asked sarcastically.

"There's no guarantee in life, Rebecca. You know that." Six said softly.

He watched her shoulders slump and he his stomach tightened. He hated to see her like this but it had to be done. He reached out and put his hand on her shoulders. To his surprise she jerked away. "If anything happens to her, I'm holding you responsible." She said with tears in her voice. She didn't look at him. Deep down Rebecca knew she was being unreasonable and unfair but she couldn't help it. She was scared for her sister and she needed to lash out. Unfortunately, Six was the only one around.

A lump formed in Six's throat. He knew Rebecca didn't mean it but it still hurt nonetheless. "Understood." He said quietly. He turned and left. When the lab door slid close, Rebecca burst into tears.

Six's sharp hearing heard her sobbing through the closed door. He wanted to go back in but realize that it would probably be best for her to be by herself. He put his hand on the door before turning around.

"Six!" Six turned around at the sound of his name. Calan was running down the hall. "I just got word from Circe. It's bad. We need to head out now!"

Six gritted his teeth as Calan relayed Circe's report. "Get all available hands on the Keep. Dust off in 10." Calan nodded and ran off to make the preparations.

When it rains, it pours.

**Originally the soccer scene was a whole elaborate fight sequence in my head with Six attacking several people at once using basketball, soccer, and martial arts moves and sports equipment. And at the end of the smack down Six would throw the basketball over his shoulder and it would go through the hoop. Haha. That would have been awesome. But it was too hard to write. So I settled for a simplified version with Kenwyn. Sorry. It moves the story along. **

**Also I'm sure some of you may have a problem with my characterization of Holiday. Let me explain. She is usually a saint. You have to be to put up with Six. (Seriously, I love the guy but if he was a real person he'd drive me to drink with his emotional constipation.) But when it comes to her sister Beverly she becomes totally irrational. Case in point A Family Holiday where she was snippy with both Rex and Six and remember how over-protective she was during the Trendbender's concert. If you have a serious issue with it I'm sorry but I think every character has a flaw and this is Holiday's.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own the show.**

**Episode 4**

Rex hit the ground hard enough to leave a dent. His boogie pack had fallen apart upon impact. He sat up with a grimace rubbing his head. He glared at the EVO in the sky. Rex made his sky slyder and flew into the air after him. The monster glared back at him and swooped to meet him. Rex dodged but the claws managed to tear his shirt.

"Hey, that's my favorite shirt." Rex complained.

"How can you tell? They all look the same." He heard Circe on his comlink.

"You should talk." Rex answered.

"Rex, look out!" Her voice yelled into his ear. Rex narrowly dodged another pass by the EVO.

"Okay, no more distractions." Rex formed his smack hands and when the bat-like EVO passed again he smacked it. Although it was a direct hit, Gatlocke just shook it off and attacked again. When Rex held up his smack hands, the claws ripped right through them.

"Hey, oww!" Rex looked in surprise as his build fell apart. "Ok not good," he muttered. Rex formed his bad axes. He blocked a few of Gatlocke's hits. Then when the EVO realized it was not going to get Rex at close combat it shot up into the air. Rex tried to track him with his goggles but the EVO flew directly into the path of the sun. Rex was momentarily blinded by the glare. He blinked to try to get his sight back. When his vision returned at last it was too late.

The bat-EVO hit him head on and Rex plunged to the ground.

As Rex got up from another crater he had formed when he fell, he saw the Keep's shadow pass over. Gatlocke also saw it. He hovered in the air for a second before he quickly flew away. The keep lowered its bay doors. Some jets came out after the EVO. Rex was about to go as well but his comlink buzzed to life.

"Rex your biometrics are low get back to the Keep." Six ordered.

"But Gatlocke…"Rex began.

"We have people after him, don't worry. It would be more worrisome if something happened to you." Six stated.

"Ah, Six I didn't know you cared." Rex teased.

"I don't, but I need a scapegoat." Six signed off.

Rex blinked. Was that a joke? He could never tell with Six.

Circe stepped next to him. "What's the word?" She asked breaking his reverie.

"They want us back." He grabbed her by the waist and flew them up to the Keep

0o0

Caesar checked out Rex. "You're fine just overworked. Just rest, mijo, and you'll be fine."

"No rest yet, Rex. I need to know what happened." Six walked in. "We lost contact with you after the incident at that bar."

Rex smacked his forehead. He almost forgot. He handed Caesar the data rod that he had safely tucked under his shirt. He then told Six from start to finish what happened.

Six's scowl got deeper. "I was afraid of this. We still don't know where the drugs are coming from. Gatlocke was a dead end and what's worse he's now an EVO on the loose. No telling what damage he can cause."

"But he only took one vial. Shouldn't it wear off?" Rex asked confused.

"We don't know. We're not 100% sure of anything right now. The drug interacts with each person differently. But you did stop another shipment. But the drugs are still getting through somehow. There must be another way they are getting in that we don't know about." Six answered.

"Well, that sucks." Circe replied for everyone.

"Sir," A grunt came running in, "Sir, there's a Mayday signal from Red leader One. The EVO took out our jets and was last seen headed to the canyon."

Six pinched the bridge of his nose. "Send out another squadron. See if they can locate him."

The grunt saluted and ran out.

Six turned back to the group. "I'm going with them. Get back to base."

"I'm coming with you." Rex said.

"No, Rex. You need to rest." Six stated.

"I'll rest on the plane. I can cure him." Rex told him.

"Rex, " Six said putting a hand on his shoulder. Rex was surprised at the sudden contact. "Holiday doesn't want you curing these EVOs yet. We don't know how drug-induced nanites will affect yours. And until we do, NO CURING!" Six commanded. He then walked out.

0o0

Holiday was in her bathroom. She looked at her red, puffy, blood-shot eyes. Sighing she splashed cold water over her face. After a good long cry, she felt better except for the guilt she now felt for lashing out at Six. She had to go find him and apologize. He already had enough on his plate. He didn't need an over-protective, over-emotional girlfriend to take care of. Grabbing some witch hazel pads from the medicine cabinet she placed them on her eyes hoping to get the puffiness out. Ten minutes later she was out of her room looking for Six. Another ten minutes later she realized that the Keep was gone. But she managed to find Kenwyn.

"Where is everybody?" She asked the young agent.

"Didn't you hear?" She asked surprised. If anyone should have been told it was Holiday. She quickly filled her in. Now Holiday felt even worse. Because of her tantrum Six was forced to take Caesar to take care of Rex. She really had some apologizing to do.

"Keep returning." The intercom announced. Holiday rushed to the hanger to see if everyone was alright.

When she got there, Rex and Circe was coming down the ramp followed by Calan and Caesar. Rebecca frowned.

"Where's Six?" She looked at the group.

"EVO- Gatlocke destroyed the jets sent after him so Six went out with another crew to take care of him." Rex explained.

Calan nodded in agreement before leaving to take care of his men. Caesar took the data rod back to his lab without saying much as usual.

Holiday's stomach clenched with worry. She tried to dismiss it. Six could take care of himself. "How are you feeling, Rex?"

"Fine, how come Six said I can't cure these EVO's?" Rex asked as they walked out the hanger.

"Since these nanites have been mutated by chemical compounds, we don't know if they would adversely affect you." Holiday tried to explain.

"Adversely…like how?" Rex frowned.

"Well, we don't know if it might start to mutate your nanites." She seemed to remember something. "When you tried to cure Dos, did you feel anything?"

"Well, everything was normal until that jolt of electricity hit me." Rex paused when he realized what Holiday was saying. "You mean Dos took this drug and he became an EVO?"

"Well, he might have taken the drug given to Circe or he might have taken this N-juice as it's being called. Either way, until we know for sure how it will interact with your nanites we're going to err on the side of caution." Holiday said firmly.

"Aww man." Rex grumbled.

"Hey, it's for your protection. If anything were to happen to you…" Holiday turned to look at the young EVO.

"Don't worry, Doc. It'll take more than a little mutated nanite to hurt me and my awesomeness." Rex grinned at her. He hoped to alleviate the tension in the air. Holiday smiled slightly and bade them good-bye as she entered her lab.

Circe rolled her eyes and smacked him in the shoulder. "How about you take your awesomeness and get some rest. We still have a lot to do."

"Oh yeah, like what?" Rex wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Circe couldn't help but laugh at his poor attempt at flirting. "Like finding the source of the drugs, you nitwit."

"Aww, you're no fun." Rex pretended to pout. Then to his surprise Circe stepped close to him and kissed him softly.

"We can have fun after we figure out who's distributing those drugs." Circe smiled.

Rex looked like he wasn't sure where they were or what they were talking about.

Someone cleared her throat. Rex and Circe abruptly parted.

"Hey, guys, I've got news to tell you." Beverly said.

0o0

The three friends walked aimlessly around the halls of Providence.

"You're going undercover?" Circe asked with some surprise.

"Yeah and I was hoping you could give me some self-defense pointers. I don't want Six wiping the floor with me tomorrow." She admitted.

"I don't think he'd do that especially not the sister of his girlfriend. " Rex grinned seeing an opportunity to tease his aggro-nanny.

"Still, I don't want to look like a newbie. I know Rebecca's nervous about me doing this. But I thin… I know I can I can do this." Beverly corrected herself.

"Okay, let's go." Circe said as she led the way to the training rooms. Once inside she turned to Beverly. "Let me see your fighting stance."

Beverly tried to stand the way she'd seen others do it. She noticed that Rex was trying hard not to laugh.

"What's so funny?" She said turning red.

"Nothing, sorry. It's your first time." Rex coughed to cover his giggle.

Beverly frowned at him.

"Beverly, you're not doing sumo wrestling. Your feet should be staggered and placed slightly wider than the hips. Like this." Circe showed her.

Beverly repositioned herself. For the next half hour they practiced moves.

"Not bad for a beginner." A new voice came from the door.

Everyone turned around to see who had spoken.

"Kenwyn!" Rex smiled broadly. He went to greet her with an urban handshake. "Where you have you been? I haven't seen you since the memorial service."

Kenwyn smiled sadly. "They had me all over the place. They started closing many of the bases around the world. I had to make sure all sensitive information gets transferred here safely and that the people there had places to go."

"Wow, that sucks." Rex frowned. He had heard rumors that Providence was in trouble financially but this was worse than he could imagine.

"You do what you're assigned." She shrugged.

"Well, I'm sure you did it better than anyone else could." Rex smiled.

Kenwyn blushed at the compliment.

Beverly glanced at Circe. She could tell that Circe was threatened by the new comer. Beverly quickly interrupted. "Kenwyn was recently assigned to go undercover at Noah's school to find the drug dealers."

"Then why do you need to go undercover?" Circe asked.

"Wait, Noah didn't tell me you were at his school." Rex frowned.

"Well, it's not supposed to be common knowledge." Kenwyn told Rex. "I'm posing as a foreign exchange student at his house. Noah and his friends have been a great help."

"I can't believe that Noah didn't tell me. I mean I just talked to him this morning!" Rex said indignantly.

"Rex, are you listening? Noah wasn't supposed to tell anyone." Kenwyn snapped at him.

"Still!" Rex huffed.

"Hey, what about my question?" Circe was annoyed that they were talking over her.

"Oh, sorry. Rex, distracted me. " Kenwyn apologized.

"I'm sure." Circe muttered.

Kenwyn did not seem to notice Circe's displeasure. "I managed to locate all the drug dealers but none of them has this new drug. Also I might have compromised my cover when I had to stop a student who had gone EVO because of the N-juice. Beverly suggested that she could pose as a transfer student and buyer to find who has the drug."

"Sounds like a good idea." Circe approved.

"I wish Rebecca thought so." Beverly said wistfully.

"Hey, she's just worried about her baby-waby sister." Rex teased.

Beverly groaned. "Please don't do that."

They all laughed. Circe still felt uneasy with Kenwyn especially when she saw how familiar Rex was with her. But she chided herself. Rex was allowed to be friends with girls.

"Come on Beverly, I have to brief you on what I know. I heard you'll be staying with Meechum." Kenwyn motioned for Beverly to follow her.

"Meechum? Peter Meechum?" Rex looked perplex.

"Yeah, remember? He and Sarah moved to town so that Sarah could go to school." Circe reminded him. "You helped him move."

"I did?" Rex frowned. "You mean last month when I loaded all those boxes onto the van?"

"Yes! What did you think you were doing?" Circe asked amused.

"I though Six was giving me busy work so I didn't have to talk to those consultants." Rex admitted sheepishly. He rubbed the back of his neck.

Kenwyn shook her head. "You haven't changed a bit, Rex."

They walked into the conference room. Kenwyn picked up a file and handed it to Beverly. "Here's your new name and biography. You're now Beverly Meechum, Peter Meechum's niece, who moved here to finish up high school because you got kicked out of your old school and your parents can't deal with your rebellion anymore. Here's the list of drug dealers and where they hang out. Study up."

"I have to know all this by tomorrow?" Beverly flipped through the pages overwhelmed.

"You can do it." Circe said encouragingly. Beverly just groaned.

"Noah and his friends have been told to stay away from you. You are own your own. But if there're any problems we're coming in to help." Kenwyn said seriously.

Beverly swallowed hard. She was starting to get nervous.

"Hey, if you want I'll sit outside the school as back up." Circe offered.

"No, you can't!" Kenwyn said sharply. "If any of the dealers recognize you as Providence they'll go into hiding."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Circe narrowed her eyes.

Rex quickly stepped in between the two girls. "Why don't we see what Six says? I'm sure he has all this planned already."

"You're right. I'm sorry if I sounded bossy there." Kenwyn said to Circe graciously.

"I'm sorry, too." Circe said although she wasn't sure she meant it.

Beverly was absorbed in the material and had not notice the near altercation.

"We'll leave you to read up." Rex said gently gripping Circe's arm to hint that they should be going.

"I'll stay to help you." Kenwyn said to Beverly.

"Thanks." Beverly said without looking up.

Rex led Circe out. "You okay?" He asked her nervously.

"I'm fine." She said curtly.

Rex decided he should drop it for now. Circe did not look like she was in the mood to talk. Circe, in fact, felt threatened by Kenwyn. She was so put together, friendly with Rex, and now she is helping her best friend. She made Circe feel so… imperfect.

Rex wrapped an arm around her. "How about we go to the cafeteria and get something to eat?"

Startled from her thoughts, Circe looked at Rex in surprise. "Sure, Rex. I guess I'm getting a little hungry."

Rex smiled. When in doubt, get food.

0o0

Six passed by the same rock formation for the fifth time. So far they were unable to locate the EVO-Gatlocke. Finally, Six had to send the other planes back to refuel. Since he arrived later he still had some time before he too had to turn back. He gritted his teeth. He had been against this from the beginning. He knew Gatlocke was unreliable to say the least. But of course the consultants would not see it that way. Somehow this would be his fault. He did not tell anyone but their finances was worse than he let on. He actually stopped receiving his pay check so that he could keep the research branch of Providence running. He didn't need much to live on anyway. The bank account he had opened for Rex was funded by the money he had already saved up previously. They barely had enough to keep the agents they had on the payroll. The three Providence jets that were destroyed by Gatlocke would not be replaced.

He caught something from the corner of his eye. Six maneuvered his jet for a closer look.

Out of the blue the bat-like EVO hit his windshield. Six almost flinched. Almost. The EVO's faintly glowing white eyes looked fiercely at Six's mirrored shades. It snarled and fogged up the glass. Thinking quickly Six rolled the jet. Without any grip the EVO fell off. It quickly righted itself before coming after the jet. Six opened fire. The EVO dodged the shots. Its claws ripped through one of the gun turrets. Six clenched his jaw as he saw smoke come from the side of his jet. The wind was blowing the smoke over his line of sight. Six didn't know where the EVO went to. As he cautiously flew he had to rely on his instincts and his radar. Unfortunately, by the time his radar picked up anything the EVO appeared through the smoke. Six pulled up hastily. The claws of the EVO ripped through his fuselage. The alarm went off in his cockpit and the jet began to rattle. Six had enough. He set his plane on auto-pilot although he wasn't sure how much longer his plane would actually stay in the air. He popped open his hatch. He tried to look through the thick dark smoke. Then he felt something. With his cat-like reflexes he leapt up and did a back flip and landed on the back of the jet. EVO-Gatlocke had just missed ripping through him. In the middle of his flip, he had flicked his blades from his sleeves. He held his blades out in his fighting stance. Again he held still and tried to feel for the EVO. He turned right with his crossed blades. The EVO shrieked in anger when it found his claws blocked by Six's magna blades. EVO-Gatlocke using his legs kicked Six in the stomach. Six lost his footing and began plummeting to the ground!


	5. Chapter 5

**This might be a little talky. It's not working quite like I was hoping. I wanted to write each chapter like actual episodes but it's ending up more like a multi-part story. Hope you like it anyway. I do not own anything.**

**Episode 5**

Most people plummeting to their deaths would be panicking. But Six was not most people. He bided his time. Just as he expected, the bat-like EVO flew to finish him off. Six did not move until the EVO was close enough for him to smell his foul stench. As soon as the EVO was within reach, he twisted his body to avoid its claws. Six grabbed his foot and swung himself to its back. When he reached the EVO's back, he wrapped his legs tightly around its torso. His blades shot out from his sleeves. Connecting them together he formed a staff. Using the newly created staff he steered the EVO toward the top of the canyon. EVO-Gatlocke did not take to this kindly. He tried to buck Six off. It twisted its arms to try to reach the agent who was well out of reach. Finally, the EVO started spinning in midair to try to rid itself of the stubborn agent. Six knew he couldn't hang on forever. As soon as the EVO was close enough to the ground, Six let go twisting so that he could land on his feet. He looked up in time to see the EVO dive at him. He spun his staff so that it formed a protective shield and deflected the attack. He then took the blunt side and whacked it over the side of his head. The EVO shrieked and flew off to regroup.

Six knew he could not hold off the EVO forever. He was tiring out yet the EVO looked like it could go several more rounds. Six had to end it quick. He scanned his surroundings and spotted some boulders below him. He checked to see where the EVO was. Currently, it was making wide berth to come around back.

The EVO spotted the edge of the agent's green jacket behind some rocks. It grinned evilly as it landed. With its claws it swiped at the jacket destroying most of the rock formation. The shredded jacket floated to the ground without anyone in it. The EVO's eyes widened in confusion when he realized there was no one there. The ground began shaking and rumbling. Looking up EVO-Gatlocke realized he had been tricked as tons of rocks fell upon him. Standing above him was Six with his magna blades joined together. He had cut into the ground and caused a landslide. Six made three jumps and landed on his feet at the bottom of the gorge. He picked up his shredded jacket in disgust. It was his favorite one too.

0o0

"Six, called." Calan told the four worried teens and one worried doctor. "He captured the EVO and has called for a transport."

Holiday sighed in relief as did the rest of the teens. They had all been getting ready to wind down for the day but when Six's plane limped back to the hanger without him they couldn't rest until they had news.

"See, I told you not to worry. No EVO can get the better of Six." Rex said proudly. Everyone shot Rex a look. Rex had been the most concern when Six went missing. The rest of them, not knowing where Six was, had opted to wait for his call. It took all their power of persuasion to keep Rex from darting out heedlessly to look for his mentor. Calan shook his head before bidding them good night to make arrangements for holding the EVO.

"Well, I'm glad he's okay. But I better get to bed. I've got a big day tomorrow as a transfer student." Beverly yawned.

Rebecca stiffened but tried not to say anything. It was already settled and voicing her protests would only put doubt in Beverly's mind… doubt that she didn't need.

Circe nodded. "Good luck. I think I'll turn in too. We need to try to pick up where we left off, right Rex?"

Rex agreed. "Yeah, just don't know where. I wonder if Caesar found anything interesting on that data rod."

Holiday looked surprised. "What data rod?"

"Oopps, I guess Caesar didn't mention that I snagged a data rod from the drug smuggler's computer."

"No." Rebecca narrowed her eyes. She'd have to talk to Caesar about sharing information.

"Don't be too mad, Becca. I'm sure he was going to tell you soon." Beverly fretted.

Holiday held her breath and counted to ten. She didn't want to blow up at the young scientist especially since Beverly seemed… interested in him. "I'm sure it just slipped his mind." She agreed. She made a mental note to find him sometime tonight.

Kenwyn yawned too. "Come on Beverly, you better get to bed. I have to get back to Noah's before they get too suspicious. Noah told his mother that I was at an exchange student meeting."

"You need a ride?" Rex asked. "I can get you there faster than by car."

"Yeah thanks." Kenwyn accepted.

Circe stiffened. Her green-eyed monster began gnawing at her. As hard as she tried she couldn't stop it. Her teeth clenched so tight she was sure she heard her molars cracking.

"Don't stay out too late, Rex. We need to get up early too." Circe tried to sound nonchalant.

"What are you my mother?" Rex laughed. "I'll get back when I get back." He then put got up and walked out with Kenwyn. The words stung Circe. She knew he was just trying to be funny but her insecurities made her think the worse.

"Hey, you okay?" Beverly asked.

"Sure. Well, gotta get some sleep." She said through gritted teeth. She stiffly got up and left.

Beverly and Rebecca exchanged worried glances before Beverly went after Circe.

Rebecca sighed. Teenage drama. Speaking of drama she needed to wait for a certain ninja to return so she could apologize.

Beverly walked out the sliding doors and looked around before she spotted her friend.

"Circe, wait up." Beverly chased after her friend. "Want to talk?"

"Not especially." Circe picked up speed.

Beverly got the hint and stopped. "Well, if you ever need to talk…"

Circe waved her hand without turning around. She turned the corner to her room. Beverly spent a moment watching her friend leave. She turned to go back to her room.

When Circe reached her room she plopped onto the bed and buried her head in her pillow. Finally, when she ran out of air she rolled over and stared at the ceiling. On one hand she can rationalize that Rex did not know he had upset her. On the other she was furious with him for not seeing that he had upset her. She groaned. She did not want to turn into a cliché jealous, clingy, girlfriend. But she had told Rex that she had trouble trusting people because of her past. Why can't he put the two together? She closed her eyes so she could shut out the world.

Beverly lay awake wondering if Circe was okay. She had seen how angry she was when Rex offered to take Kenwyn home. She wasn't sure what she could do about it. She really wished Rex wasn't so dense. Speaking of being dense, she wondered if it ran in the family. Caesar had been more or less avoiding her since the trip from Argentina. They still worked together but he never looked her in the eye anymore. He only talked to her when he needed something and absolutely found someplace else to be when she brought up anything that remotely sounded like feelings. Beverly shook her head. She wondered if she should talk to Rebecca about this but she knew Rebecca wasn't exactly fond of the scientist. What was she going to do?

0o0

Rebecca stood in the hanger waiting for Six. She supposed she could go find Caesar but she decided to wait until she was sure she wouldn't smack him over his head. This was why she preferred to be the one out on the field. Caesar too often "forgot" to share information with everyone else. Then when he was confronted he would just look confused and swear that he thought it was common knowledge.

The sound of the hanger doors opening shook her from her thoughts. She watched as a transporter rolled in. When the vehicle pulled to a stop, Six sans jacket hopped out of the font. He motioned for the agents to come retrieve the EVO. There was shrieking from the back and she could see dents in the armor of the car. A group of agents surrounded the transport as two agents stood on either side of the doors. The nodded to each other and simultaneously opened the door.

The cries were deafening. Two more agents stepped up and shot some tranquilizer darts. The EVO quieted down. Several of the grunts went in to pull it out. Holiday could see it was strapped to a gurney. It looked a little too large for the stretcher with its legs coming off the table. Suddenly its eyes snapped opened. Using its legs it kicked the agents closest to it. Then it stood up with the gurney still strapped around its back. It strained its arms and the straps snapped off. It raised it arms and wings and gave a shriek before it tried to fly out of the hanger's open door. Luckily, the doors shut right before the EVO could escape. Six jumped onto the transport and up into the air. With blades drawn it smashed into the EVO. Six slashed it a few times before gravity brought him back to the ground. The EVO fell and landed with a thud on the floor in front of Six. Carefully, Six approached the fallen EVO. The EVO again snapped its eyes open and did a low sweep with its leg knocking Six off his feet. The EVO jumped up and pinned the agent to the floor. Baring its sharp teeth, It lifted one claw to tear Six's throat out.

Before the EVO could swipe, however, there were ten poof sounds. The white glow left the EVO's eyes and it slumped over. Six had to use both hands to hold it up so that it didn't crush him. When he rolled the body off him, he saw Holiday with the tranquilizer gun in her hands.

"Isn't ten a little overkill? " He raised an eyebrow.

"You tell me." She answered before pumping in several more. Six smirked. He knew she was no longer angry with him.

0o0

After securing the EVO, Six was called into a conference call with The Committee. With nothing better to do at that moment, Holiday decided to pay Caesar a visit to see what he discovered on the data rod.

Holiday looked at Caesar. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, there are no active nanites in this drug. According to the information on the data rod, certain chemicals can interact with a person's biochemistry to activate the nanites. What we originally thought were mutated nanites are not. The drug allows people to tap into the power of their nanites. Most people can fully control the transformation although a few may find the change disconcerting and may become… disoriented."

"Then can Rex shut down the nanites?" Holiday lightly shoved the scientist aside so she could look at the data on the screen.

"Actually, only if the person wants the nanites deactivated, can Rex shut it down. "

"That would explain why Dos was able to stay an EVO." Rebecca mused.

"Pardon?" Caesar raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing," Rebecca had forgotten that they did not go into details about the EVO they encountered on Christmas Eve.

"I was reading some medical journals recently and came across an article about a Professor Bowman. It's absolutely fascinating. He is studying how bio-organic material can affect the nanites rather than the other way around. It is a whole paradigm shift." Caesar continued as if the previous conversation didn't exist.

"You think Professor Bowman might know who created this drug?" Holiday looked at Caesar.

"I think it's our only lead right now." Caesar went back to fiddling with his equipment. "And there are other considerations to this N-juice."

"Like what?" Holiday was sure she wouldn't like the answer.

"Well, it is highly addictive because when a person goes EVO the body compensates with high levels of endorphins to counteract the pain. So as the person goes EVO they get a _high. _Also as the drug runs through their bodies they eventually will need another dose."

"So we will have a pandemic of people addicted to becoming EVOs?" Holiday groaned

"There's that, although most people won't last long enough to take the drug repeatedly because in time the drug will start to destroy their bodies."

"What? Why didn't you say that earlier?" Holiday's head snapped back to the other scientist.

"Well, I'm saying it now."

Holiday resisted the urge to smack Caesar. "How does it destroy the body?"

"A body can only take going EVO so many times. After a while the muscle tissue will start breaking down and the nanites will start dying along with the body. The heart is working overtime and eventually will give out. Most likely a person will have a heart attack if they take the drug regularly."

Holiday rubbed her temples. "We have to stop this now."

"That's what your sister's trying to do."

Holiday bit back an angry retort. She knew it would probably go over his head or at least he'd ignore it. In fact Caesar was already back at work on his computer. She decided to see if Six was done with his meeting. She never formally apologized and she needed to let him know about this new development.

0o0

Six looked at the members of the committee on his large flat screen.

"The Committee should reconsider." Six said in his usual monotone.

"Sorry, agent, but based on the recommendations of the consultants we have decided to eliminate one branch of Providence. Either your research or military branch needs to be cut. Both will not be funded." The head stated.

"What about this new threat?" Six prompted.

"It is not a priority. There are other agencies in place to pick up whatever branch you decide to eliminate. It is either that or we eliminate Providence completely."

Six noted with disgust the smug look on Miss Hatburn's face as she sat next to the head.

He was sure she was behind making him choose between his agents or his scientists. "This is very short sighted. The reason Providence works is because of the combined efforts of each of the branches." Six tried one last time.

"The Committee has reached their decision. You have 24 hours to make the choice." With that the feed abruptly cut off. Six's shoulders slumped slightly.

"What are you going to do?"

Six's head turned to see Holiday standing in his doorway concern etched on her face. Six was about to say that nothing was wrong but then decided that he couldn't hide the truth.

"You heard everything?" He asked.

"I heard enough. Six, they can't do this! We finally have a lead and we've discovered important things about the drug." Holiday looked at Six.

"I don't think they care. If they did they wouldn't have asked me to choose. It's like asking me which arm I want to cut off." He said angrily. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I think ultimately we're going be disbanded but if I could buy some more time…"

Holiday stayed silent. There was really nothing she could practically do. She walked behind him and slipped her arms around him. She felt him relax. He gently pulled her in front of him. They wrapped their arms around each other seeking to comfort the other.

After a moment Holiday said, "We'll figure something out. We'll be okay."

Six wasn't sure if she was trying to reassure him or herself. Finally, she pulled her head back to look at him.

"I know this is a terrible time but I have to tell you about Caesar's discoveries about the drug and about the possible lead."

Six nodded. He had 24 hours to figure out what to do but right now there was the immediate problem of the drug created EVOs.

0o0

Six and Holiday sat on the couch in his office. Holiday had insisted that Six put one in when she caught him asleep at his desk one night. Now as Holiday lay against him as he occupied the corner seat he was glad he did. She pulled off her boots and stretched her long legs out. Six pulled her closer so that her head was on his chest. She stifled a yawn.

"You should get some rest." He kissed the top of her head

"I am resting." She murmured.

Six hid a smile then became business-like. "So tomorrow Rex and Circe will go talk to Dr. Bowman. Beverly will start looking for who is distributing the N-juice at school. And I will have to look for someone else to fund Providence."

Holiday pulled back so she could look at him. "You're going to cut Providence off from the Committee?"

"It can't be helped. For too long now they have pulled the purse strings and consequently made poor policies."

"Where can we find that kind of money to run Providence though?" Holiday frowned.

Six almost smiled when she said _we_; he knew she was with him all the way. "I hate to say it but we may have to contact your friend David."

Holiday was surprised. Then she realized how desperate it must be in order for Six to even consider asking David. He was not exactly Six's favorite person. "I'll contact him tomorrow." Holiday looked at his face to see if there was any sign of jealousy. But as usual Six's face was passive. She moved closer to him and kissed him. She let herself be pulled closer as he deepened the kiss. Somehow they'll find a way to save Providence.

0o0

Circe couldn't sleep so she decided to wait up for Rex. She sat on Providence's roof scanning the darkening skies for his boogie pack. She could not appreciate the way the setting sun cast beautiful colors across the desert before her. When the sun had completely disappeared and Rex was still nowhere in sight her mood grew as black as the sky. Finally, in the distant horizon she saw a small figure flying towards Providence. She narrowed her eyes. If she was wise she'd go back to her room because she would not be rational right now. But jealousy does not make a person wise. When Rex touched down, he pulled his goggles off in surprise.

"Circe, what are you doing up? Is anything wrong?" Rex asked worriedly.

Deep down inside Circe knew that Rex did not have a clue what was going on and subsequently was not cheating on her. But on the surface she let her frustration and anger take over.

"Where were you?" She asked stupidly. She knew where he went.

"I went to Noah's to drop off Kenwyn. Then Noah and I shot a few baskets. Why? What's with the interrogation?" Rex asked now getting annoyed.

"Nothing." Circe spun around suddenly deflated. Of course Rex would stay and shoot hoops with Noah. She had to leave before she really made a fool of herself if she hadn't already. She yanked open the door.

"Come on Circe. You've been acting weird all day. What's wrong? You can tell me." Rex forgot his irritation when he saw she was distressed.

"Forget it Rex. It doesn't matter." She muttered as she ran down the stairs.

"Don't give me that!" Rex was getting annoyed again. "I know something's bothering you. Now spill it."

Circe wished Rex could figure it out because she didn't even know where to begin to tell him. She reached her room in record time. "Good night." The door slid shut in Rex's face.

Rex glared at the door in exasperation. Girls! He'll never understand them.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok, I thought the last chapter was talky but this one is even worse. Sorry, but I need to establish story lines. Seriously, I have a flowchart and an outline in my office detailing the parts of this story. The hard part is making them all connect without making it boring or drawn out. I had to edit this piece several times, whole chunks were cut because it just made the story run too long. Please bear with me.**

**I still don't own anything.**

**Episode 6**

After last night Rex wasn't sure how Circe would be. When Circe sat down for breakfast, she only nodded to acknowledge his presence. Then she silently ate. Caesar was no help as he read his paper. Bobo had driven Beverly to Meechum's house early this morning to start her mission. He had no idea where Holiday or Six were. Rex didn't know why Circe was giving him the silent treatment. He tried to think of anything he may have done wrong but couldn't come up with anything. Once again he wondered why do girls have to be so weird?

Luckily, Holiday walked in. She went over to the coffee station to pour herself a cup before making her way to the table.

"Morning, Doc. What's up?" Rex asked mouth full of eggs.

"Good morning, Rex. Don't talk with your mouth full." She said automatically. After taking a sip she continued. "Yesterday, Caesar made an interesting discovery." Holiday then ran through everything they learned about N-juice and its effects.

Caesar put down the paper. "That's about right." He paused to take a drink from his coffee cup before returning to his paper. Holiday glared at the front of his paper.

"You need to go talk to a Dr. Kirk Bowman." Holiday concluded.

"Bowman?" Rex asked incredulously. "That's Claire's dad!"

Holiday looked surprised. "You mean Noah's girlfriend?"

"Yeah, don't know any other Dr. Kirk Bowman." Rex said.

"Well, that'll be awkward." Caesar commented as he paused again for another drink from his cup.

"Dr. Bowman might know something about how this drug was produced and subsequently where it might be being produced." Holiday responded.

"I feel weird checking out Noah's girlfriend's dad." Rex commented.

"Well, there's nothing that says he's involved. Besides he's our only lead right now. Here's the university he teaches at. Give him a call and set up an appointment. Given that you sort of know him it shouldn't be too hard."

"We're on it." Circe said devoid of any emotion. She got up and walked out. Rex looked after her retreating back. He quickly shoveled the rest of his breakfast into his mouth, grabbed his juice and downed with the food.

"Mmph mmph mmph." He said to Holiday and his brother before going after Circe.

Holiday shook her head amused. She hoped that Circe and Rex can work out their problems. She liked them both.

0o0

After making some phone calls, Dr. Bowman graciously agreed to see them that morning before his classes.

The ride to see Professor Bowman was uncomfortably silent. They were in a Providence jeep with Circe at the wheel.

"Do you want to do the talking or should I?" Circe finally said something.

The sudden sound of her voice startled Rex. "What?" He stammered.

"Since you sort of know him, do you want to ask the questions?" Circe repeated.

"Oh, uh, well, I guess I can talk to him, if you want me to." Rex said evasively.

"Then you better think of what to ask him." Circe said keeping her eyes on the road.

"Well, I though I would go the direct route." Rex answered.

"Sounds good." Circe nodded.

Then there was silence again until they reached the university parking lot. Circe flashed her ID at the campus security guard who waved them in. He directed them to the farthest building on the left. After parking, Circe and Rex entered the building and into Bowman's office.

"Hello Rex, Claire has told me so much about you. I want to thank you for rescuing her." Dr. Bowman shook hands with Rex and Circe.

"Actually, that was Noah." Rex replied trying to win brownie points for his friend.

"What brings you here?" Dr. Bowman asked as if Rex hadn't spoken.

"Well we have a problem and was wondering if you could help." Rex began. Then Rex showed him Holiday's data on the drug found in the EVO's blood.

Bowman frowned. "Can't say I know what this is. It's very interesting though. Would you mind leaving it here so I could study it?"

"Uh sure." Rex was confused. Bowman should have recognized this right away since it was similar to his own research.

"If you find out anything let us know." Rex said.

"Of course," Bowman smiled. Rex and Circe turned to leave. Bowman's smile faded when the door shut.

He immediately picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"They know!" He hissed into his phone. "You assured me that this would not be traced back to me. I want to see you now. No this can't wait. All right tonight at the factory at midnight."

Circe and Rex were listening down the hallway on their comlink. When Rex was talking to Bowman Circe had planted her comlink in the room and switched it on.

Rex put his hand to his eyes. _Noah's not going to like this_, he thought. Circe looked at Rex worriedly. "Noah's not going to like this." It was as if she was reading his mind. "What are we going to do?"

"I have to talk to Noah." Rex said grimly. "Then tonight we need to see who Bowman is meeting."

Circe agreed. "Come on, we need to let Agent Six and Dr. Holiday know."

Rex tiredly followed Circe. He was not looking forward to talking to Noah.

0o0

Beverly took several deep breaths before she put her hand to the car door handle.

"Are you okay?" Meechum asked her.

She smiled nervously and nodded.

"Remember if anything happens that you can't handle, call me."

Beverly nodded again. She had arrived early that morning at Meechum's house so that he could drive her to school to keep up appearances.

Meechum like Rebecca had been critical of the plan. But after his initial disapproval he had been nothing but supportive. Beverly appreciated it.

"Go get 'em." Sarah told her as she exited the car.

"Thanks squirt." She ruffled her hair.

Sarah waved as Beverly walked the path to the front of the school. She walked to the General Office with her papers.

"Hi," she said to a busy secretary. "I'm the new transfer student."

The secretary looked up her glasses at her. "Oh yes, Beverly Meechum. We've been expecting you."

The secretary got up and pulled out some papers.

"Here's your schedule, here's your locker number, here's your home room. The bathrooms for students are on the first floor. Any questions? Good."

Beverly hardly had time to absorb all the information before the secretary went back to her desk. She gulped as she gathered all the papers in front of her. She walked out in a daze looking for her locker. Noah and Claire stood by their lockers talking. Noah spotted her first but had to refrain from helping her.

"Poor thing. She looks so lost." Claire muttered.

"Yeah but we can't help." Noah said frustrated.

Kenwyn also spotted Beverly trying to find her locker number. She walked over to Noah and Claire. Pretending to look for something in her locker she whispered, "We need to get rumors started about Beverly so that she can get hit up."

"Leave that to me," Claire said. She walked over to Annie's locker. After a few minutes they walked over to the locker of a notorious gossip.

"You see that new girl?" Claire said to Annie in a loud whisper.

"What about her?" Annie said equally as loudly.

"I heard she is got kicked out of school for getting high. Her parents sent her to live with her Uncle because they can't deal with her anymore." Claire said furtively.

"She certainly looks like she's in a daze." Annie observed.

"I wonder if she's gonna continue to get doped up." Claire added.

"Probably." Annie replied.

They then walked off. Sure enough Tiffany's head popped up when they left. She quickly closed her locker and scampered off.

Claire and Annie walked back to Noah and Kenwyn.

"There, by this afternoon everyone in the whole school will know she's a druggie." Claire said satisfied.

Kenwyn nodded. "Good."

Meanwhile Beverly finally found her locker. She should have guessed it was the one all the way at the end of the hall near the janitor's closet. She sighed as she looked at the combination in her hand. She dialed it in but when she reached the last number the lock would not open. She tried again but again no luck. She banged on it in frustration.

"Need some help?"

Beverly turned around. A teenage boy stood smiling.

He was wearing dark jeans and a white t-shirt with black boots. If Beverly was honest he wasn't bad looking.

"Yeah, stupid thing won't open," she muttered.

"Here let me see." He banged the locker a few times. He took her combination and dialed it. He then banged it a few times more. The locker popped opened.

"Wow, how Fonzie-esque."

The boy looked startled. "You watch _Happy Days_?"

Beverly blushed, "Yeah, when I was younger my Nanna and I would watch all the retro shows."

"I love all those retro shows." The boy grinned. "By the way, my name is Chad."

"I'm Beverly." Beverly offered her hand.

"You're new?" Chad shook her hand.

"Ya, I just transferred here." Beverly shrugged and looked at the ground.

"Really? So late in the year."

Beverly shrugged again, "Didn't get along with my folks."

"I hear you there. Well, I'll see you around Beverly." Chad waved.

"Bye Chad." Beverly returned a small wave of her own.

Beverly watched as Chad disappeared down the hall. She put her books into her locker and then walked to her first period class.

She sat in the back. She had to remember that she was supposed to be a druggie slacker with an attitude. She hoped she could pull it off. Mustering as much teenage angst as she could, she slouched in her seat sullenly.

"Let's all welcome our new student Beverly Meechum. What can you tell us about yourself?" The young perky homeroom teacher announced.

Beverly froze as she saw thirty pair of eyes focus on her. Trying to remember her biography she said, "Um, I'm a transfer student from Montana. I'm staying with my uncle."

She stopped there. She figured the less she said the better.

The home room teacher nodded. "Can anyone volunteer to show Beverly around?"

No one raised their hand.

Although Beverly knew that she was playing a transfer student it still hurt a little not to have anyone want to help her… until one person raised his hand. She hadn't notice him sitting in the front corner before. Chad. He smiled at her.

She gave a small smile back.

0o0

Six listened to Rex's report. Rex had left Circe to watch the professor's office. It was more disturbing than Six thought. He folded his hands, elbows on his desk; he rested his chin on his hands. "Noah's girlfriend's father is involved." Six stated more to himself than to the teens present. "You need to follow him and see who he meets tonight."

"That's what we were planning. " Rex agreed.

"I will assign you Tuck and Cricket to back you up." Six touched the intercom. "Get Agents Tuck and Cricket up to my office asap."

"Yes, sir." His secretary answered.

A minute later Tuck and Cricket walked in and saluted.

Six nodded. He was not into formalities. "You two are going to be back up for Rex tonight. I'll leave him to brief you. Dismissed." Rex motioned for them to follow him.

Tuck was driving the jeep as Rex was filling him and Cricket in on what was happening.

"Really? Professor Bowman might know about this entire juicing thing?" Tuck asked when Rex had finished his story.

"Juicing?" Rex asked puzzled.

"Oh, that's what the motor pool at Providence is calling this." Cricket explained.

"I guess that makes sense. Listen guys before we go I need to make a stop." Cricket and Tuck looked at each other.

"Sure , Rex. What do you need to do?" Tuck asked.

Tuck, Cricket, and Rex pulled up outside Noah's house. "Are you sure you should do this?" Cricket asked.

"Noah's my best friend. I need to let him know." Rex said solemnly. Then a sudden thought struck him. "Um, that's not to say you guys aren't my friends too."

"Shut up, Rex, and go talk to Noah." Tuck said good-naturedly hitting him over his head.

Rex grinned sheepishly and walked up Noah's walkway. He rang the doorbell and waited. He was about to ring again when the door opened. It was Noah.

"Rex? What are you doing here?"

"We have to talk." Rex pushed his way in.

Noah sat on his bed with his head between his hands and eyes screwed shut. "No I can't believe this!" He jumped up and began pacing around his room.

"I wish it wasn't true." Rex said sadly as he looked at his friend from the desk chair. " But Circe and I heard him. There's a meeting he's going to tonight."

"I'm going!" Noah stopped pacing and looked at Rex.

"Noah, it's dangerous." Rex began.

"And who went through basic training?" Noah glared at his friend.

"But you're a little too close to this." Rex protested.

"Yes, and who better to go. Professor Bowman is a brilliant man. I can't believe he'd be behind this drug-EVO thing. There has to be another explanation." Noah said running his hand through his hair. "Claire loves her dad… idolizes him. She'd be devastated if he's doing anything as terrible as this."

"I know." Rex agreed. "Okay, Noah, but this time I'm lead, okay. You follow."

Noah looked like he was about to protest but one look at the seriousness in Rex's face and knew he wouldn't win the argument. "Okay."

Rex put his hand to his ear. "It's Circe. I have to go. I'll pick you up tonight at 9. Be ready."

0o0

"This is the cafeteria where they serve only the finest cuisine from swamps of Dagobah." Chad said with mock seriousness

Beverly couldn't help but laugh at his tone and Star Wars reference.

"You do know what Dagobah is don't you." Chad asked suddenly worried.

"Of course." Beverly said pretending to be offended. "What self respecting geek wouldn't know that?"

Chad smile in relief. "Oh good, don't want to be geeky by myself."

Beverly laughed again. She really was enjoying herself. Chad had been a surprisingly friendly and thoroughly entertaining guide.

They entered the cafeteria. She immediately noticed the dents in the walls and broken tables that had been pushed to the side.

"Whoa what happened here?" Beverly looked wide-eyed at the mess.

"Some kid took a drug to go EVO then tried to take out one of the skaters who was tormenting him." Then in a softer voice he said, "But between you and me McKelly deserved it."

"Yeah, I hate bullies." Then as they got in the cafeteria line she casually said, "So where did he get the drug?"

Chad looked curiously at her. "I'm not sure, why?"

"I've never heard of a drug that turns you EVO. Wonder what that's like." She mused quietly.

Neither of them said anything as they passed in front of the cafeteria ladies handing out questionable food.

They sat down in a quiet corner away from the mess and crowds. Beverly unwrapped what she hoped was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She took a bite and made a face.

"Pretty bad, huh?" Chad noticed.

"I guess it's like every other school cafeteria." She choked down the bite in her mouth and took another tentative bite before giving up eating it. She opened her chocolate milk to try to wash out the taste. She tried her fruit cup which was slightly better. It's hard to go wrong with heavy syrup.

"So what do you do for fun around here?" Beverly asked.

"Not much to do here. Just the usual movies, nerds study, mall rats hang at the mall, jocks play ball, the skaters skate, obviously." He grinned at Beverly.

Beverly grinned back.

As she was thinking of how to broach the topic of where to get drugs, a gaggle of girls passed by her table. They were whispering and pointing none too subtly at her. Beverly heard one of them loudly speaking to another, "There's the cabbage head." Beverly knew that was slang for a drug user. Kenwyn must have helped by starting rumors. That should make things easier. She looked to see if Chad had heard. Chad was looking at her again as if wondering what to say. "So you experiment?"

Beverly knew that this was what she was here to do, but she didn't like that someone she had just met, not to mention kind of liked, would think poorly of her. Involuntarily, she felt her face heat up. She quickly looked at her half eaten fruit cup. She just gave a slight nod.

Chad just shrugged. "Hey, whatever you're into, that's your thing."

Beverly looked at him in surprise. Her instincts kicked in. Chad was either a very accepting person or… he could be helpful in tracking the drug dealers. Beverly hoped all her reactions thus far were realistic. "Really?" She asked.

Chad smiled and nodded.

Beverly ducked her head and smiled. She brushed a stray hair back and gave him a sideways glance. He was looking back. She felt her stomach tightened and realized that this may get more complicated than she thought.

0o0

Claire was studying late for a Chemistry exam. After a while she yawned and got up to stretch. As she was stretching out her back, she heard the jangle of keys from the outside. She looked out her window and saw her father getting into his car. He started it but didn't turn on his head lights.

Funny, she thought to herself. Where is he going this late at night? Then on a whim she grabbed her car keys and ran out of the house. She hopped into her car and with the lights off as well she followed after him. She had been noticing that her dad has been going off at all hours of the night lately and she was curious to as where he was going. A professor does not usually keep such late hours. Today she decided she was going to find out. Ever since the kidnapping attempt he had been jumpy but not enough to change any of their routines. The most he did was get an alarm system.

Her father's car started approaching the seedier side of town. She had never been to this part before. She watched as her father pull into an alley way. Claire drove past and parked a block away. She quickly doubled back in time to see her father enter the back entrance to what looked like an abandoned factory. She tried the door but it was locked, of course. She looked around and noticed a broken window on the second floor. If she can get up high enough she could get through. She spotted a dumpster parked nearby. It was perfect. She went over and pushed with all her might. The dumpster was not full, luckily, so it was not difficult to move. She pushed it under the window and climbed on top of the lid. She was about two feet too short. Scanning the ground she noticed a crate. Jumping down and grabbing it, she stood it on its long side on top of the dumpster. She tried again. She could just touch the ledge. She tiptoed and was able to grab onto the ledge just as the box tipped over and fell off the dumpster. Claire hung on by her nails. She gulped and pulled herself up. Squeezing through the hole, careful not to touch the sharp edges, she made it inside. When she landed on the floor she heard voices coming from downstairs. They were heated and although she couldn't make out what they were saying she recognized her father's voice. She slowly opened the door. The door creaked loudly and she winced. But the voices did not stop their conversation. She tiptoed over the landing just far enough to see two figures.

"Look you said this would never be traced back to me. But Providence came by today. That EVO boy who's friends with my daughter showed me the chemical compounds I gave you. I want out Fell." Dr. Bowman's voice was troubled.

Claire froze at the name. Dr. Fell was that disgraced scientist Rex sometimes mentioned. Why was her father talking to him? It sounded like he gave the doctor something.

"Bowman! Relax! They don't know you're involved. All they have is a sample of the chemical. Anyone who's read that article a about organic nanite interactions is bound to see you once they realize that there are no active nanites in the drug. But Providence has been a thorn for far too long. They need to be stopped. But I first need to take care of something else."

A group of men wearing full black suits with dark grey vests walked in holding rifles of some type.

"Fell, what is the meaning of this?" Bowman asked nervous.

"Your usefulness is at an end, Bowman. Time to tie up some loose ends." Fell smiled humorlessly. "Black pawns… finish him."

The black pawns aimed their rifles as Bowman who stepped back in a panic. As the black pawns fired, Claire screamed.

**To tell you the truth I was waiting for some more reviews before posting this because I was looking to see how you like it so far. But I realize that if I don't get reviews within several hours of the story being published, most likely they are not coming. So I'm just going to continue and hope that you are still reading. Thank you KakaAnko and Guest for your last review. To Guest: Wow, that's high praise. I appreciate it but don't know if I deserve it yet. When I'm done you can tell me if it's any good.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you for the comments. It's helpful to know I'm not boring anyone. (Well, I could be but no one's said anything so far.) As I mentioned before, since I'm vested in this story it's hard to know if it's interesting to anyone else(I'm easily amused). BTW if you haven't read Six's story you will be confused by this next part of the story. **

**Still don't own anything.**

**Episode 7**

Six walked to his room. He needed a minute of solitude before he had to face the whole host of problems that clamored for his attention. When he got to his room, he fell on top of his bed without bothering to remove his jacket, shades, or shoes. He closed his eyes and tried to meditate.

The Committee wanted him to get rid of one of the sections of Providence. What they didn't realize was that they were more than just coworkers. But because of all the trials they had been through, they were a family. They had each other's backs. Each had a part to play and without the other they couldn't function. He couldn't let The Committee break them up. He pulled off his shades and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "One, what am I going to do?" he asked into the air and waited. He hadn't really expected an answer so after a while he sat up at the edge of the bed. As he looked down he saw the edge of a worn notebook. He bent down and picked it up. When he did a thin slip of paper fell from between the pages.

This was one of Maisy's journal that One had left him. He had been so busy he hadn't had more than a few minutes to peruse it. Picking up the slip of paper he saw a name of a bank, a series of numbers, and what he assumed was a password. Six stared at it. He went over to and sat at the computer he had just put into his room recently. In a few minutes, he was looking disbelievingly at the number on the screen. A hesitant knock came from his door.

"Come in." Six said distractedly.

"Six? You didn't pick up your comlink. I've been looking all over for you." Holiday said as she came in. But as she walked in, she noticed that he had not responded to her at all. In fact he had not moved from his chair at all. "Six, are you okay?"

Six beckoned for her to come over. When she walked over, he pulled her onto his lap. Surprised Rebecca looked at him questioningly.

"What do you see?" Six asked her as he pointed to the screen.

Rebecca leaned into the screen and gasped. "Six, this is a Swiss bank account. Is this… is it yours?"

"I guess it is." Six said thoughtfully.

"Six, if that number is right you're one of the riches men in the world." Rebecca peered into the screen counting the zeros again. "How?"

Six was quiet. He gently lifted Rebecca off his lap and walked over to the journal on his bed. He skimmed through it until he reached **his** familiar writing.

_Six, I took the liberty of investing the money that Maisy left you. I have also over the years added to it. The interest earned is automatically deposited into a high yield savings account which is on a separate piece of paper. The principle will remain in the investments. I hope you could use it someday for a noble purpose.- One_

Underneath the letter was a list of funds with account numbers. Six slowly sank onto his bed.

"Six? What is it?" Rebecca walked over. Six handed her the journal. Rebecca read through it quickly.

"You mean there's more?" Rebecca looked wide-eyed at him.

Six nodded. Then a slow smile spread over his face as he looked at her. Having gotten over the initial shock of finding out that he was a millionaire, she returned his smiled.

"I think I might have solved our financial problems." He said in his understated way.

Rebecca burst out laughing and Six smirked as he got up. He pulled her close for a kiss that lasted until they both needed air.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Rebecca said a little breathlessly. "I talked to David, but I guess we don't need him now."

"Actually, we still need him." Six said reluctantly as he nuzzled her neck. "I'm not a business man and we're not equipped to handle the financial side of things.

"You're right." Rebecca was having a difficult time thinking with him doing that. "He said he'd be able to drop by later this afternoon. Is that good?"

"That's fine. But first…" He pulled her into another kiss.

0o0

Caesar, standing on some scaffolding, was bent over an open panel of his giant robot in his lab. He was working on the wiring system, because you never know when you need a giant energy-shooting robot.

"Beverly, can you get me the wire cutters?" He waited and was about to repeat the question when he realized that Beverly wasn't there. He felt foolish that he had forgotten. He was so use to her being around that he had taken it for granted. Caesar stopped working and climbed down. He sat at his desk rummaging through his drawers for the wire cutters. His mind wandered back to the trip to Argentina. In desperation, he had called Six for relationship advice. He shuddered. The agent had never mentioned it again and Caesar was glad for it. Still he had pondered Six's advice over and over in his mind. How was he supposed to figure out if he liked Beverly as more than a friend? Then he had to figure out how to talk about the next step. He had been avoiding talking to her because he wanted to make sure he liked her, liked her.

See, this was so much simpler if he had just stuck to his research and inventions. He passed a hand over his face. So did he like her, like her? Now that she wasn't around, he did miss her. But does that prove anything? He sat back in his chair and looked at the ceiling, wire cutters long forgotten. Maybe he should talk to her, even before he completely knew how he felt? He sat back up. He made his decision. Caesar got up and left his lab determined.

0o0

Beverly walked into Meechum's house afterschool.

"How did it go?" Meechum greeted her at the door.

Beverly looked in surprise. "I thought you went to work?"

"I worked from home today. Wanted to make sure everything was okay." Meechum said gruffly. Beverly was touched by the gesture.

"Thanks." She said.

"For what? It wasn't a big dealer." Obviously embarrassed by the gratitude. "So what happened?"

"First, do you have any safe way of disposing this?" Beverly pulled out a clear plastic bag full of illegal drugs.

"Good lord, you work fast." Meechum eyed the bag disdainfully.

Beverly shrugged, "I think Kenwyn helped by spreading rumors." She handed him the bag. They continued into the kitchen. Meechum walked over to a biohazard bin under the cabinet and threw it in. Beverly wasn't sure why he had one but she wasn't about to ask. "The problem is that none of the ones I talked to knew who has the N-juice. And they were the regulars."

"Well, I'm sure you'll find out in time." Meechum said confidently. "Oh for crying out loud who's that?"

The doorbell had just rung. Grumbling Meechum walked out to the door and swung it open.

"Caesar? What in the sam hill are you doing here?" He asked surprised.

"Just wanted to see how Beverly was." Caesar tried to see behind him. Meechum grabbed him and yanked him in. "What's wrong with you man? If anyone recognizes you from Providence you could blow Beverly's cover!"

"No one knows me here. I rarely come to town." Caesar said slightly annoyed. "Now where's Beverly?"

"Caesar? Why are you here? Is something wrong?" Beverly came into the room.

"No, no. Everything is bueno, good." He suddenly realized he had no idea what to say. "I just wanted to see how your day was."

"Really? You came all the way here to ask me about my day?" Beverly looked sideways at him.

"Well, yes." Before Caesar could say more, the doorbell rang again.

"Oh sure! Why don't we invite the whole neighborhood over?" He griped as he walked to the door. Before opening this time, he looked through the eyehole. He whispered to Beverly, "It's some kid that looks like a wanna be greaser."

Beverly gasped and ran to the door. In a low voice, she said, "Oh my gosh, it's Chad."

Caesar immediately narrowed his eyes, "Who's Chad?"

"It's a boy I met at school today. He volunteered to show me around. How did he find out where I live?" Beverly wrung her hands.

The doorbell rang again and Beverly jumped.

"Well? What do you want me to do? Can't have him ringing the bell all day." Meechum said brusquely but his eyes showed he was amused. Caesar's look of consternation and Beverly's indecisiveness was highly entertaining.

"I guess let him in?" Beverly bit her lip. "But Caesar should hide first."

"I'm not going anywhere." Caesar said uncharacteristically agitated.

Beverly shot a look to Meechum for help.

"Oh good grief, Caesar get into the kitchen…NOW! No buts, go." Meechum whispered loudly as he waited for a sulky Caesar to disappear into the other room before he opened the door. Then in a more normal tone he answered the door, "Yes?"

"Oh, hi, sir. I'm looking for Beverly Meechum. "The boy said innocently.

"Who's asking?" Meechum asked suspiciously.

"Sorry, where are my manners. My name is Chad Roberts. I met Beverly today. She dropped her folder and I'm returning it to her." Chad flashed him a smile.

"So instead of waiting for tomorrow when you see her to return her folder, you stalked her to my house?" Meechum looked sternly at the boy. To his gratification the boy squirmed.

"No, Sir. I didn't stalk her. Her address was on one of the sheets in her folder." He said uncomfortably.

Meechum snorted, "Beverly, it's for you." He called behind him but he kept his glare on Chad who had started to fidget.

Beverly came to the door. "Thank you, uncle. I can take it from here. You can go now. Thanks. Good-bye." Beverly gently shooed him away. Meechum slowly left still glaring at the boy. "Sorry about that he's a little over-protective."

"I'll say. Here's your folder." He said handing it to her.

"Thanks, but you didn't have to do that." Beverly said as she put it on the hall table.

"I wanted to." Chad shrugged and smiled. Beverly blushed a little.

"Hey, do you want to go get a milkshake or something?" He asked unexpectedly.

"Uh, well, I , uh…"

As Beverly was trying to decide, breaking glass could be heard from the kitchen. She also faintly heard Meechum hissing softly, "No stay, stay, don't you dare go out there."

"I'd love to." Beverly quickly decided not wanting to risk Chad meeting Caesar. "Uncle, I'm going out." She quickly slammed the door as she heard someone yell out, "Nooooo!"

0o0

Caesar sat dejected on Meechum's sofa. Meechum was glaring at him with an icepack on his hand.

"What's wrong with you?" Meechum shifted the ice to another bruise on his shin.

"Sorry about your hand… and leg… and the crystal vase, oh and the…." Caesar started to list.

"Forget about that." Meechum winced when he waved his bruised hand. "Look Caesar, we've known each other for a long time and I can tell you right now… I don't like you."

"Que?" Caesar looked at the older man confused to where this was going.

"You are a self-absorbed, unfocused, prick." Meechum continued.

"O-kaaay. Is this going somewhere?" Caesar asked.

"Yes," Meechum took a deep breath, "You are also a certifiable genius with a good heart, well meaning plans, and a generous spirit. And even though I don't like you per se I don't want to see you unhappy." Caesar continued to stare at him. "If you like that girl, you need win her over."

"How do I know I even like her?" Caesar wondered out loud.

"Well, you just destroyed my kitchen, dropped a table on my hand, and kicked me in my shins when I tried to stop you from going out. I think it's safe to say you like her." Meechum said sarcastically.

"I do. I do like her." It suddenly became clear to him. He hopped off the couch and grabbed Meechum's bruised hand. "Muchos gracias for clearing that up."

Meechum grimaced and yanked his hand from Caesar's grip. "You're welcome. Now do me a favor."

"Anything."

"Get out of my house and never come back." He growled.

0o0

As promised Rex went to Noah's at 9. He rapped on his window. Noah, dressed in black, slid open the window and climbed out. Together he and Rex made it down the street so that Noah's mother would not notice when Rex started his rex ride. When they were down the block Rex formed his bike. Noah got on the back. They were about to go when they heard someone clear her throat. They turned around to see a very annoyed Kenwyn.

"Where is Noah going?" She looked at the two boys.

"No time to explain Kenwyn but it's really important and we have a schedule to keep." Rex said.

"Then I'm coming too." Kenwyn announced.

"No, if your cover is blown then there'll be no one to watch Beverly." Noah reasoned.

Kenwyn was about to argue before she realized he was right. "What about you?" She asked Noah.

"I'm not undercover." He said. Kenwyn sighed. "Fine, but you better fill me in, or I swear I'm gonna…"

"Okay, thanks, bye, Kenwyn." Rex said in a hurry. He quickly drove off kicking up dust and almost throwing Noah off in the process.

Kenwyn coughed and tried to fan the pollution away with her hand. Seriously, she was going to smack Rex next time she saw him.

As Rex sped through the streets he touched his comlink. "Circe, what's going on?"

"No activity yet." Circe answered. She had been tailing the good professor ever since this morning. She watched him go teach his classes, eat lunch in the cafeteria, pick up his dry cleaning, take his cat to the vet, and buy groceries. So far all he was guilty of was parking too far from the curb when he went to the dry cleaners. She did feel funny when she saw through the large bay windows Claire coming home and greeting her father. She really hoped for Claire's sake that they were mistaken.

But as the sky grew dark the atmosphere grew ominous. When it got close to midnight, she saw through her night vision goggles the professor sneak out of his house. Her heart sank when he did not turn on his headlights as he pulled out into the street. These were not the actions of an innocent man. "The pigeon is on the move." She tapped her comlink.

"Que wha?" Rex responded. Circe rolled her eyes.

"He's leaving you nitwit. Follow my homing signal." She snapped.

Circe dropped from the tree onto her bike. She activated stealth mode and rode after the professor. The night vision goggles helped her keep track of the car. She had to remember to keep from driving directly under the street lights so that she would not give herself away. Finally, Professor Bowman pulled into an alley way. Circe pulled to the side knowing he can't see her or her bike. The professor went to the back door. Circe activated the suction cups on her hands and knees. She began climbing up the side of the wall to the roof. If she had stayed a few seconds more she would have seen another figure in the alley way trying to get in.

When she reached the roof, Tuck and Cricket met her.

"He's inside?" Cricket asked when she saw a figure cut through the shadows.

"Yes," Circe confirmed as she shut off her stealth suit. "Any trouble following me?"

"No your tracker was loud and clear so to speak." Tuck grinned.

"Where's Rex?" Circe looked around.

She didn't like it when Tuck and Cricket looked at each other before Tuck replied, "He went to get Noah."

Circe knew that Rex went to talk to Noah but bringing him was a totally different matter. "What? And you let him?" Circe was shocked.

Tuck shrugged. "I don't think you could have stopped him."

Circe wasn't sure if he meant Rex or Noah and right now she didn't care.

"Ugh, we can't wait for them. Let's just get inside." Circe said.

Cricket pointed to the sky light. "How about that?"

"Perfect." Circe said.

Cricket cut the one of the glass pane. Tuck clipped on the harness and lowered first Circe then Cricket down to the ground below. Tuck then secured the line before zipping down himself.

"Shhh," Circe put a finger to her mouth. She heard voices coming from the lower levels.

She motioned for the others to follow. They went through the door marked Exit to get downstairs.

When they reached the landing where the voices were louder, Circe tried to open the door. "It's locked." She rattled the door trying to get it open.

That's when they heard a girl's shrill scream and gun fire. The trio looked at each other in horror.

0o0

Rex and Noah stopped in front of the abandoned factory. Noah got off as Rex's build dissolved back into his body.

"This the place?" Noah asked Rex.

Rex checked his tracking device. "Yup, Circe's here."

"How do we get in?" Noah asked looking around. "Hey, there's Professor Bowman's car." Noah pointed at the car in the alley way. They walked over to the building.

"Well, we're definitely in the right place then. We need to find an opening to quietly sneak in without anyone…" Rex began.

A shrill scream pierced he air followed immediately by gun fire.

"That's Claire!" Noah gasped.

"Are you sure?" Rex looked at Noah in disbelief.

"Of course I'm sure. I'd recognize her scream anywhere." Noah snapped.

"Well, that's disturbing." Rex noted.

"Rex!" Noah yelled at his friend.

"All right, all right. I got this." He formed his smack hands and smashed through the side of the building.

When the smoke cleared, Rex gasped.

**Ok, I know. I didn't resolve the cliffhanger. Sorry, sorry. Remember when I said in the last story that I had to cut large chunks out. Well guess where they ended up?**

**I promise in the next chapter all will be revealed. Again I'm updating as soon as I finish the chapter. Reviews help me stay on track (not a threat just a reality). To the people who say i should finish, don't worry, I will finish this story. It just depends on how fast. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Rainbow Colour: I just appreciate that you took the time to write. I understand about being busy and not knowing what to write. I have that problem all the time.**

**Thank you to all who continue to comment. I have bouts of insecurity and this helps to reassure me I'm not wasting any of your time.**

**I own nada.**

**Episode 8**

David looked through all the financial statements. He looked up at Six and Rebecca sitting across from him.

"Wow." He said.

"Is that a good wow or a bad wow?" Rebecca asked worriedly.

He smiled warmly at her. Even though she had rejected him he still had feelings for her. Six cleared his throat rather aggressively. David's smile wavered slightly.

"It's a good wow. You're a lucky man, Six… in more ways than one." He eyed Rebecca wryly. Six put a protective hand over Rebecca's and looked pointedly at David.

"So how does this _luck_ translate to running Providence." Six asked dryly.

David shook his head. "Well, it doesn't really. This money will keep Providence around for a year or two, three at most but the interest earned from your investments will not be able to keep up with your expenses. In other words, it is not self-sustaining."

"So what do we need to do?" Rebecca furrowed her brow.

"This money is a start but in order to keep Providence going, Providence needs to find a way to pay its own bills." David explained.

"You mean we need to start running it like a business?" Six wasn't sure he liked the sound of that.

"Not necessarily. You could be a non-profit organization. You'd be tax-exempt. Build up the research branch and hire out your experts in the nanite field. I know you have some brilliant minds other companies and research facilities would pay to have around." He looked at Rebecca appreciatively.

Rebecca blushed and Six scowled. "So we become consultants? What about the agents?"

David waved a hand dismissively, "There are things that governments can't handle. You can bill your agents as a first responder unit to major crises around the world. Since you are not affiliated officially with any government it would be easier for you to maneuver globally. I know there are many governments willing to pay big bucks for people to clean up their messes if you know what I mean."

Six thought about it. It made sense. "What needs to be done?"

"Well, that part's up to you." David leaned back in his chair as he looked at the pair thoughtfully. "One person handling all the finances is a big burden. People think it's easy but having large amounts of money is as big a problem as having none at all. Large companies have teams of accountants keeping track of day to day activities. You don't have that, do you?"

"No, first we were funded by the Consortium then the Committee." Six answered.

David nodded. "I have a proposal. I can take care of the financial part of Providence. I can set up a dummy corporation affiliated with my company so that my accountants can handle your finances. Don't worry everything will be transparent with you involved in where every penny goes."

Rebecca and Six looked at each other.

"That's nice of you David, but…" Rebecca wasn't sure how to say it without sounding rude.

"But what's in it for me?" He smiled finishing her sentence. "Let's just say I want to help make up for past mistakes plus I get first dibs on your researchers." He winked at Holiday who again blushed.

Six's jaw tightened. "I appreciate the offer but…" He stopped when Holiday put a hand on his shoulder.

"Excuse us for a minute." She said to David. Gently she pulled Six to the side. "Six, do you know how to run a corporation?"

"No," he admitted reluctantly.

"Well, neither do I. But David does and he's willing to do it for free… well, practically free. You are still in charge of everything and he just takes care of paying the bills. I mean we were going to originally ask him for financial help. How is this different? In fact it's better because we have the money, we just need someone to handle it."

Six understood that Rebecca was right but he didn't like the idea that David could just walk in and _borrow_ her anytime he wanted. But Six swallowed his pride. "Fine." He muttered. They walked back together.

"You have a deal." Six said holding out his hand.

"You won't regret it." David smiled shaking his hand.

_I'd better not._ Six thought to himself.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur with lawyers and legal agreements. But the most satisfying part of the day was in the late evening when Six was able to summon the Committee and tell them where they can stick their ultimatum… so to speak. He derived great pleasure in watching Miss Hatburn turn different shades of purple before he hung up on them.

But now with the papers signed and Providence saved, Six now had a different problem on his hands. It had grown late and with all the legal matters to attend to, he had briefly forgotten about Rex and his reconnaissance with Professor Bowman's mystery man. It was way pass the time of the meeting. Calan said they had not reported back yet.

Six was starting to worry. Just when he was about to call Rex on his cell phone his comlink crackled to life.

"Six, I managed to get in touch with Rex. There's a problem." Calan said seriously.

"When is there ever not a problem?" Six said sarcastically. "I'm coming up."

0o0

The black pawns aimed their rifles at Bowman who in his panic stepped back. He did not notice that the floor behind him was rotting away. As the pawns released the safety on their rifles, Claire did the only thing she could think of. She screamed. The pawns were startled into firing wildly. Their shots fired harmlessly into the air.

At the same time Professor Bowman's eyes grew big when he recognized his daughter, "Claire?" Just then the floor gave way and Bowman screamed as he plunged through the newly formed hole.

"Dad!" Claire shrieked.

Two explosions simultaneously happened. Circe's sonic scream blasted through the locked door. Rex's smack hands demolished the brick wall of the factory.

Circe, Cricket, and Tuck rushed into the room. When the dust settled, Rex gasped when he saw who was standing among the black pawns.

"Fell!" Rex snarled as he formed his punk buster. He rushed to confront the scientist knocking over black pawns in his way.

"Stop him you fools!" Fell yelled at the pawns, who immediately opened fired.

Circe quickly blasted some with her sonic scream. Then she had to take cover when they started firing on her. Tuck and Cricket ducked behind the door frame and returned fire.

Noah who went unnoticed ran to Claire on the second floor landing. She had fallen to her knees in shock.

"Claire, Claire, are you all right?" Noah grabbed her arm and hauled her up. "We've got to get out of here."

Claire didn't look like she heard him. Her eyes were locked on the first floor.

"Claire!" Noah shook her. Claire suddenly seemed to come to life.

"Noah?" She looked at him in confusion. "What are you doing here?" Before Noah could answer she gripped his arms painfully. "My dad! He fell down there." Claire knew she wasn't making any sense. Her brain was in a jumble and only one clear thought remained. She had to see if her father was okay.

Noah seemed to understand. "Come with me!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her along. After dragging Claire down the flight of stairs he pushed her against the wall when a black pawn came flying their way. Noah checked to make sure the coast was clear. Making sure he had a good grip on Claire's wrist he towed her towards the stairs that led down to where Professor Bowman fell all the while ducking bullets and other flying debris. Pounding down the stairs they arrived in the factory's basement.

Stumbling to keep up, Claire's legs felt like jelly. She had a hard time making them work. Everything was surreal. When they got to the basement, part of her still screamed at her to wake up from this nightmare. Claire's eyes had to adjust to the even dimmer light in the basement of the factory. The only illuminations came from the little holes in the ceiling indicating where the floor had rotted away to allow the light from above to come through. Noah spotted a large patch of light streaming from up top. Strangely, it looked like a stage light dramatically pointing out the crumpled figure. With the sounds of fierce fighting coming from upstairs in his ears, Noah pulled Claire along. When Claire realized what she was seeing, she broke off from Noah and staggered towards her father's prone form.

"Daddy? Daddy? Wake up." Claire heard her words and it sounded childish to her ears. Her trembling hands were shaking her father's shoulder. "Daddy? Please get up. Let's go home."

Noah bent over and felt Professor Bowman's wrist for a pulse. He felt a faint flutter and hoped it was the professor's and not his own imaginings. He looked around and spotted things he could use to create a makeshift stretcher. Reluctantly leaving Claire, he gathered two long broomstick handles and a drop cloth painters use. Grabbing some duct tape lying around he managed to secure the cloth onto the handles. He nudged Claire over a little so he could slide the body onto the cloth.

"Claire, I'm going to need your help. Do you think you can carry the end of this?" Noah hoped that she wasn't offended that he was talking to her like she was a child but he had to make sure she understood what he was asking.

Claire nodded as she got up to grab the poles by her father's feet.

" Ok, on the count of three lift. One, two, three."

At three the stretcher was lifted off the ground. Noah prayed that the cloth would stay on the handles. Luckily it did. Unluckily, another explosion shook the factory. Pieces of the ceiling started coming down around them. Smoke wafted down to the basement.

"Quick, Claire, go!" Noah urged.

Claire, still in a state of shock, moved as quickly as her jelly legs and heavy load would allow. Noah was trying to bear most of the weight. As they approached the stairs, Claire was uncertain how to get up them with the stretcher.

"Claire, just go. I've got the back." Noah gently told her. Claire didn't look back and started to ascend. Noah, hoping that all that time spent lifting weights in gym had actually had some benefit other than to make him unable to lift his hand above his elbow, tried to keep the stretcher level so that Claire's dad did not disastrously slide off.

It seemed to take forever but they finally reached the top. What greeted them was pure chaos. Broken pawns littered the ground, some with sparks coming out of various parts. Unfortunately, one of those sparks inadvertently started a fire when it came into contact with flammable material left on the factory floor. Fell somehow had made it outside and was being escorted away in a small helicopter.

"Fell!" Rex roared as three or four pawns piled onto him. He formed his blaster castor and brushed them off. He was about to go after the wayward scientist when Noah yelled at him.

"Rex, forget him. Professor Bowman needs help!"

Rex paused for a second before he ran over to help Noah and Claire.

"Rex!" Circe yelled as she finished off the last of the black pawns. "We need to get out of here. This place is burning up."

Rex realized Circe was right. The fire had quickly spread. Flames were licking the walls straight to the next floor.

"Everyone out now!" Rex cried over the roaring fire. Tuck had been hurt in the fight and was unconscious. Cricket grabbed one arm while Circe grabbed the other and together hauled him in between them out of the burning building. Rex and Noah had taken Bowman and Claire outside already.

"Is everyone here?" Rex asked as they stood outside. Before anyone could reply the roof of the building caved in. Rex could hear the faint strains of a fire engine from afar. Someone had called the fire department. He hoped there was an ambulance coming too.

"Rex," Circe limped over to him. Tuck had regained consciousness and was sitting on the curb with Cricket. "Captain Calan's calling. He wants an update."

Rex groaned.

0o0

Six and Calan managed to calm all irate parties. After some smooth talk and promises to pay for damages, they managed to placate the people that matter. It was good they had that settled, because now that it had time to sink in, Six was having second thoughts on the deal.

David was a mixed bag. On the one hand he was a shrewd businessman who knew how to keep something as large as Providence afloat. On the other he was still in love with Rebecca and now that he was a part of Providence he could be around more. Meaning he could be around Rebecca more. He gritted his teeth. He didn't want David near Holiday. There had to be a way to let David subtly know that Holiday was off limits. A crazy thought hit him. It was so crazy that for a second he pondered if it was even his own thought. Was he seriously considering this? Did he really want this? Could he even do this? Suddenly, he was struck with a fear and nervousness he hadn't felt in... well, in forever. But he knew what he had to do.

Turning to Calan he said, "Do you think you can take it from here?"

Calan looked at him inquisitively, "Sure no problem, why?"

"No reason, but since I'm in town already, there's something I need to go do." Six said secretively.

Calan just nodded. "See you back at base." The blonde captain walked off to debrief his men.

Six was grateful that Calan was not the nosy sort. That's why they get along so well.

Six got on his stealth cycle and drove off.

0o0

Professor Bowman had been taken to the nearest hospital. Rex made sure that he was helped and shielded his part in the fire from the authorities. Tuck was taken back to Providence for a check up when he refused to go to the hospital. Cricket accompanied him. Circe was questioned and released. Then it was Rex's turn. Afterwards he was called in by Calan to give details. He wondered why Six was not there but it was a passing thought as Calan grilled him on the details. When Fell's name was mentioned, Calan scowled, which led to more questions. Rex counted the seconds before he could be done so he could see how Noah and Claire were.

Bowman was in bad shape when he got to the hospital. When the doctors were finished with him, he was still in a coma. It was mid-morning by the time everything was settled. Noah walked into the hospital room where Professor Bowman was relegated. Claire was sitting in an uncomfortable looking chair next to her father who was hooked up to some machines. The sound of the heart monitor was the only noise in the otherwise silent room. Claire looked up when Noah came in. She quickly looked away but not before Noah noticed her red rimmed eyes. They were telltale signs that she had been crying. Noah felt a pang of regret.

"I can come back later if you want to be alone." He said softly.

"No, it's okay." She said automatically.

Noah pulled another plastic chair from the other side of the room next to her and sat down. Again the sound of the heart monitor reigned in the room.

"Are you ok?" Noah ventured to ask.

"What do you think?" Claire snapped momentarily dropping her perfect manners.

Noah winced at her sharp tone.

"I'm sorry. I'm… I'm… I just… I don't know. I'm confused, angry, hurt..." Claire knew she was babbling but somehow vocalizing it helped. Noah understood and kept quiet so she could let it out.

Claire closed her tired eyes and took a deep breath.

"He was my hero." Claire began.

Noah took note of the past tense.

"After my mom died, we only had each other. So we took care of each other. I thought I knew him." She paused. "Then I find out he's sold his discovery to Dr. Fell."

"That's not fair. I don't think your dad knew what kind of things Fell would do with his information." Noah tried to defend him.

"That doesn't make it right."

"We don't know the whole story, yet. Don't be so quick to judge him." Noah said.

"From what I've heard at the factory and what I've just found out from Rex there's little to misunderstand." Claire said sullenly. Noah couldn't dispute the facts and since Bowman was in a coma he couldn't tell his side of the story. So they sat in silence.

Noah glanced at Claire. Claire continued to glare at the ground. Noah sighed. " Claire, I don't propose to know why your dad did what he did but I do know from the short time I've known him… he loves you more than anything in the world and he'd never hurt you. Whatever he did he did it with you in mind. He cares about you… and… and… so do I."

Claire looked up at that. Surprised she looked at Noah who was looking at the ground with a slight tinge on his cheeks.

Claire smiled despite herself. She leaned in and gave Noah a kiss on the cheek. Noah turned to face her. This time he was surprised. Claire smiled at him and Noah returned it. They both leaned in and kissed.

Rex was about to step inside but when he saw that they were in a moment he slowly backed out.

He returned to the waiting room when he saw Annie and Federico come in.

"Hey, guys, you might want to give them a minute." He jerked his head toward the room.

"Oh, okay," Annie understood. "We'll wait here a bit."

As Annie walked past Rex the light fixture above broke off and fell on him. Rex was literally floored.

"Oh my gosh, are you all right. How did that happen?" Annie gasped.

Rex rubbed his head. "I know how," he muttered under his breath. He glared at Federico. How on earth did he stay injury free around Annie?

But the former EVO looked remarkably unscathed.

A nurse came over. "Are you all right? I'm so sorry. I don't know how that happened. Let me get a doctor for you."

"Don't worry about it." Rex reassured the frantic nurse. It would take too long to explain about the blond widow.

Rex walked out ignoring the nurse's protest. The further he got away from Annie the better.

Rex formed his rex ride and rode to the mall. He wanted to go some place to chill. He was happy that some good came out of this mess. He hoped Noah could help Claire. He walked into the mall and for the second time in several hours he gasped.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry about the cliffhangers. But I'm trying to update regularly so I don't leave you hanging too long. Thank you for reviewing. I appreciate all of it.**

**I don't own the show.**

**Episode 9**

Rex walked into the mall and gasped. His brain stopped functioning for a moment. He stared, blinked, and rubbed his eyes. He was not mistaken it was his aggro nanny… his aggro nanny was in a jewelry store. He quickly dived behind a pillar. He furtively peeked out the side. Yes, Six was still there. He pulled down his goggles and activated the binocular functions. Sneaking over to a large decorative plant he pushed back its leaves to see into the store but using some of the fronds to hide him from view. Adjusting the knobs he magnified the view.

Holy cannoli! It was Six! Rex clicked the dial on his goggles to zoom in some more. Six was looking at rings. The saleslady was enthusiastically talking with her hands and Six looked thoughtful. Finally, he seemed to make up his mind. The saleslady nodded and started putting away the other boxes. Rex's mouth was opened so wide he felt the dirt from the potted plant on his chin. Suddenly, Six's head snapped up and seemed to look directly at Rex. He had a scowl on his face.

Rex immediately withdrew from the plant and sunk deep behind the pot. No, Six couldn't have seen him. If he did, Six would most certainly kill him. But Rex was giddy. He knew something no one else knew. He grinned widely. He crawled on his hands and knees to avoid being seen. But he only made it a few feet when some polished black shoes and green slacks stopped him. Rex fearfully looked up. It was Six.

"Auuggghh!" Rex screamed flying back so fast he landed on his butt. He scurried backwards until he hit a wall.

"I don't know any thing about a ring. I swear." He gasped. Six's usual scowl grew deeper. In two strides he made it to where the teen sat cowering. Pulling him up by the arm, he made Rex face him.

"Don't kill me." Rex whimpered.

"Shhhh!" Six hushed him. When Rex wouldn't stop babbling he clamped his hand on his mouth.

"Eww, your hand still smells like monkey breath," Rex made a face.

Six ignored him and yanked him towards the elevator bank. He let go of Rex and glared at him.

"Ok, ok I was going to visit Claire's dad to see how he was doing but when I got there Noah and Claire... well, I didn't want to interrupt so I decided to go chill here a bit maybe get some chili cheese fries. I haven't had those in a while... They make the best at..." Rex was talking incessantly.

"Rex!" Six snapped pushing his shades higher up his nose. "How much did you see?"

"You mean you buying an engagement ring?" Rex slapped a hand over his mouth.

Six was afraid of this. "Rex, you need to keep this quiet."

"Right, I saw nothing. I say nothing. I know nothing." He thought about the last sentence. "Well, I know a lot of things just not this because you know it's not that I know nothing, nothing…"

"Rex!" Six could feel a headache starting. "Focus! I want this to be a surprise. I need you to keep it quiet, understand. "

"Yes absolutely. I can keep a secret, like I never told anyone it was Bobo who glued all the furniture in the rec room to the ceiling." Rex clamped his hand over his mouth again. "You didn't hear me say that."

Six resisted the urge to face palm. He glared at Rex. "If she finds out, I don't care that I'm suppose to protect you. You are dead where you stand." With that he turned around and left. Rex wondered if he was joking or not. But wasn't brave enough to find out.

After taking several deep breaths, Rex went to get his fries. "I can keep a secret. I mean who does he think I am?" Rex muttered to himself.

"What are you talking about, mijo?"

"Ahh! I don't know anything about a ring!" Rex yelped.

He looked to see Caesar looking at him funny. "Ring?"

"Nothing it's nothing. I don't know anything about an engagement… I mean I'm not engaging… I mean…"Rex stopped to take a breath and decided changing topics was his best bet. "What are you doing here?"

"I figured out that I like Beverly and I'm trying to woo her. Do you think she'd like a star named after her or a gift card?" Caesar asked.

Rex blinked at him. "Bro, first of all no one _woos._ Second those gifts are l-a-m-e… lame!"

"Then what do you suggest?" Caesar looked at him. Then his face brightened. "Oh, is that why you said a ring?"

"A ri… no. I'm not suggesting that at all." Rex was beginning to panic.

"No you're right. A ring is too much." Caesar tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Yeah, it's too much." Rex agreed with relief.

"But a necklace would be perfect!" Caesar turned on his heels and walked to the jewelry store.

"Noooo!" Rex yelled and grabbed Caesar's leg.

"Mijo? What are you doing?" Caesar frowned at Rex who was now on the floor clutching his ankle.

"Necklaces are so yesterday. You should get her some flowers." Rex said from the floor.

Caesar began walking with Rex still holding onto his leg. "Let go, mijo. I've already decided." He took one step and dragged Rex along with the other leg. Step, drag, step, drag, step, drag. He got a pretty good rhythm going.

"No necklaces are no good. How about a stuff teddy bear? All girls love stuffed animals." Rex desperately suggested from the floor. "Look there's that store where you can make your own. You can make her a mad scientist bear!"

Rex was still suggesting things when they reached the jewelry store… where they bumped into Six. Six did not look amused.

Rex popped up like a spring. "I didn't tell him anything. He just came here. I tried to stop him… Please don't kill me."

Caesar looked from Rex to the stoic agent. His eyes widened when he realized that the agent was holding a bag from the store. Six grabbed both their arms and dragged them both to the elevator banks. Rex opened his mouth.

"Shut up." Six stated.

Rex dropped his head.

Six looked at Caesar who was looking at him oddly.

"I trust this will not get out to anyone?" Six glared at Caesar through his shades.

Caesar shrugged. "Who would I tell?"

Six looked at both brothers. "Don't make me have to kill you." Six then pulled the small velvet box out of the bag and shoved it into his jacket pocket. He then shoved the empty bag into Rex's hands. With one last warning glare he walked out of the mall. Both brothers started to breath again.

"I still need a gift." Caesar said as he walked to the jewelry store.

Rex wiped the sweat from his brow. "Whew, Six would kill me if I told anyone that he got Doc an engagement ring."

"He did what?" A voice cried behind him.

Rex spun around to see Circe with her mouth hanging open. Rex smacked his forehead.

0o0

Beverly had gone to school that morning. Noah, Claire, Annie, and Federico were noticeably absent. She heard a rumor that Claire's dad had been hurt in an accident. She wanted to ask Kenwyn but remembered in time that she was not supposed to know her. Her _date_ yesterday with Chad had been okay by any teen standards but she felt uneasy the whole time. Was it because she was undercover and her life right now was a lie? Or was it something deeper, like she was out with the wrong person?

She snorted. What did she mean by that? It wasn't like a certain scientist had declared any intentions towards her. As she was thinking these things to herself, she wasn't looking where she was going and collided with someone.

"Ouch! Why don't you look where you're going, you pothead?" An angry voice snapped at her.

"Sorry," she muttered gathering the stuff she had dropped.

"Hey, sorry's not good enough." The angry girl knocked the things out of Beverly's hand.

Now Beverly was starting to get angry. Her eyes flashed as she stood up to face her attacker. "I said I'm sorry." She said through gritted teeth.

"Well, maybe instead of sorry, I want to see you bleed." The girl swung a fist.

Beverly's training kicked in. Without thinking she blocked the hit and then with the palm of her other hand hit the girl in her throat.

The girl dropped to the floor gasping. A hand gripped Beverly's shoulder.

"Young lady, you are in a heap of trouble." The dean looked sternly at her.

"But it was self-defense." Beverly protested.

But the dean wasn't listening. "Come along." Beverly had no choice. The dean steered her to the principal's office. She saw Kenwyn look her way but before their eyes could meet, Kenwyn turned away. She did, however, see Chad. But he quickly left. For some reason Beverly felt hurt but didn't have time to think too much when the dean rapped at the principal's office.

"Come in." Principal Rothberger sounded a bit breathless.

The dean opened the door and led Beverly in.

"Ah, yes, the new transfer student." Rothberger took a deep breath and looked at Beverly over his glasses. "Sit down young lady. You may go now George." The dean left them. Beverly sat down nervously. "I have heard some rumors about you, my dear. Our school does not look kindly on troublemakers."

"No sir." Beverly muttered looking down. She hoped this would be over soon.

"That'll be one week of detention." He announced.

"What?" Beverly's head snapped up. "But she started it!"

"Do you want two weeks?" He asked sternly.

"No." Beverly looked down again. This will definitely cut into her investigation.

"You're excused." The principal turned his attention back to his computer. As Beverly stood up to go she noticed the reflection off Rothberger's glasses. It looked like something that she had seen on Caesar's computer… molecules, atoms, and the like. She didn't realize she was staring until Rothberger said sharply, "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing, "she said startled and quickly moved to leave. Her heart was racing. What was the principal looking at? If she had to hazard a guess it looked like the compounds of N-juice. There had to be a way to get into that computer to see for sure. When she came out the kids gave her a wide berth. Great. Beverly walked to her next class feeling quite lonely.

"Beverly, wait up." Beverly looked up to see Chad running to catch up.

"Chad?" Beverly looked at him confused. "I thought…" She stopped not knowing what she was going to say.

"I saw them taking you to the principal's office. What happened?" He asked.

"Well, apparently I'm a troublemaker. I have a week's detention." She said sardonically.

"That stinks." Chad wrinkled his nose. "It's not fair."

"Whatever." Beverly shrugged.

"Hey, I can wait for you after detention." Chad offered.

"Why?" Beverly looked at him.

"Oh, well, you know to walk you home." He blushed. Beverly found that cute.

"It's okay. I'd hate to make you wait." Beverly said.

"It won't be a problem, honest." He opened the door to the classroom for her.

"Thanks." Beverly suddenly felt shy. She quickly ducked into the room. She had a feeling that the kids will be looking at her oddly for the rest of the day. In class the teacher assigned them to write an essay. Beverly had just started the introduction when she felt her phone buzz in her purse. She looked around and secretively pulled her purse onto her lap. Opening it up, she wiggled her phone so that she could see the screen. It was from Circe.

_I promised not 2 say anything but OMG u have 2 know. 6 bought ur sister a RING!_

Beverly blinked a few times. It didn't sink in at first. When it did her jaw dropped. Her brain started racing. Did he give her the ring yet? How was he going to propose? She had to talk to him!

"Miss Meechum!" The teacher called out crossly. Beverly didn't respond at first because she forgot she was Miss Meechum. She looked up surprised. "Would you like to share with the class what you are doing?"

"Probably getting high." Came a malicious whisper. The kids around her giggled. Beverly didn't answer but her face grew hot. She ducked her head and started scribbling on her paper. Six and her sister had to wait.

0o0

Beverly was actually annoyed when she spotted Chad after detention. She needed to talk to Six before he proposed. She was convinced that Six knew nothing about romance and therefore would do something lame. But she didn't want to insult Chad so as to be polite she forced herself to smile. "Hello, Chad."

"Hi, Bev." He smiled. They chatted civilly all the way home. Beverly was relieved when she spotted Meechum's house.

"Well, thanks for walking me home." Beverly said.

"My pleasure." Chad looked at her. He looked like he was about to say something. "You know, I think I know who may carry N-juice."

Beverly paused. "Really who?" She asked slowly.

"I heard there's a guy that hangs out in the alley way over in the drug district who's been supplying jocks with it."

"Jocks?" This was unexpected.

"Yeah, it's the new steroids. It's undetectable and gives you an edge." Chad said in lower tones.

"How are these jocks not going EVO?" She asked.

"Well, I don't know." Chad shrugged.

"Okay, thanks." Beverly started to walk to the front door.

"You're not going to try it are you?" He asked out of the blue.

Beverly paused. She almost answered no. She licked her lips before answering, "I'm curious and I bet it would totally flip my parents out."

"I'd be careful with that stuff. "Chad said seriously. "There's no telling what it could do to you."

Beverly nodded. "Yeah, thanks." She quickly walked to her door and went in without looking back. She released a breath in relief.

"What is _he_ doing here?"

Beverly jumped. "Oh my gosh Caesar, you almost gave me a heart attack. Why are you here? "

Caesar opened his mouth to answer but Beverly cut him off. "You know what never-mind. I don't want to know and I don't have time for this." Beverly was preoccupied with finding her phone in her purse.

"Well, Beverly…"

"Here it is." Beverly said triumphantly as she quickly dialed a number. "Hello Circe? Yeah I got your message. Did he yet? No? Good. I'll be right there." Beverly put her hand over the receiver and looked at Caesar. "Can you give me a ride to Providence like right now?"

Caesar nodded and tried to say something but Beverly had gone back to her phone.

"Can you watch him or better yet, stay with Rebecca that way she won't be alone and he can't ask. I'll be right there." Beverly hung up the phone and grabbed Caesar's arm. Caesar was still trying to tell her something. "Shhh." Beverly hushed him as she opened the door a crack. She peeked outside. When she was satisfied that the coast was clear she tugged Caesar outside. "Where's your car?" She looked around.

Caesar pulled out a small remote and clicked on it. There were two electronic beeps and a car suddenly materialized in Meechum's driveway. "Self-camouflaging vehicle. Something I've been working on." He said.

"Cool." Beverly said as she dragged Caesar over to the car. "Quick, I need to get to Providence like yesterday."

Caesar sighed. He got in and started the car. He turned around and pulled out of the driveway to go back to Providence.

0o0

Six was wondering why Circe was hanging out with Rebecca. He had wanted to ask Rebecca out for dinner tonight so he could… ask her the question but couldn't get her alone. Then again he was starting to question the sanity of what he was about to do. Was he ready for this? Is he only doing this so that David would know to leave her alone? That would be a stupid reason to propose. The very thought of marriage was enough to make him want to hyperventilate… except he didn't do hyperventilation. He sliced things which was exactly what he was doing right at the moment. The poor training droids didn't have a chance. When he had sufficiently destroyed enough of them, he left to see if Circe has finally left Holiday alone.

As he approached Holiday's lab he could still hear Circe's voice.

"So you think Rex just doesn't realize that other girls make me nervous?"

Six didn't wait to hear what Holiday said. He turned and left. He walked into the rec room. Walking to the coffee station he made himself a cup. He wondered how long a teenaged girl can talk about boys. As he took a sip of his coffee he almost spilled it on himself when Beverly burst in.

"You didn't do it yet, did you?" She asked breathlessly.

"Do what?" He asked wiping some off his chin.

"Ask her yet!" Beverly glared at him.

Six realized what she was saying. He narrowed his eyes.

"How do you know?" His gaze immediately gravitated to the young scientist who just appeared in the doorway.

Caesar held up his hands. "It wasn't me amigo."

Rex with his usual poor timing chose this moment to walk in through the other entrance. Six snapped his glare to his ward. Rex looked from the irate ninja to a seriously ticked off Beverly and realized… "No, no, no. It wasn't me!" He backed up into a wall.

Six pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Rex and Caesar didn't tell me. Circe did." Beverly said tersely. "Now stop stalling. I'm guessing you didn't yet, did you?"

"I don't see how this is any of your…" Six began.

"She's my sister!" Beverly roared loud enough to make the two brothers jump. Six, however, held his ground. "Ever since we were little we would talk about how we would want to be proposed to and what we'd like our wedding to be like." Beverly's eyes became dreamy. "Rebecca wanted to be surprised by something romantic and over the top. I wanted it to be at the beach at sunset."

Meanwhile Caesar's face paled. "You did?" He pulled out his smart phone and began taking notes.

Six turned his glare at Rex. " How did Circe know?"

"I swear I didn't say anything _to_ her. " Rex paused and said sheepishly, "But maybe possibly, perhaps, it could have been possible that she overheard me talking to myself."

Six wanted to bash his head against the wall. "But no one else knows?"

Bobo sauntered in. "Hey, Green Bean. If you want to keep the ring a secret perhaps you shouldn't be broadcasting it to the hanger."

"What?" Six had a sudden urge to skewer everyone in the room.

Bobo walked over to Rex and pulled him off the wall. He pointed to the intercom Rex had inadvertently leaned against. "Everyone in the hanger knows and I'm sure it's going to spread fast."

"Rebecca won't because Circe's suppose to keep her busy." Beverly said when Six's face started to grow tense.

"Hey, yeah, that means you can't kill me. You said if Doc finds out and Doc didn't find out." Rex relaxed until he caught a glimpse of the ninja's face.

"So everyone knows?" Six grounded out.

"Well, I don't think Charlie knows." Bobo said.

"Charlie? The janitor?" Caesar asked.

"He prefers custodial engineer." Bobo replied.

Just then Charlie walked by the doorway pushing a broom. He stopped and waved. "Congratulations, Agent Six." Then he walked on.

Six's glare once again settled on Rex who slinked back.

"Forget that." Beverly grabbed Six's arm. "How are you planning to propose?"

Six always wondered why Beverly wasn't afraid of him. Was it because it ran in the Holiday family or was it because she like Rebecca somehow had the sixth sense to know he would never really hurt them?

"I was going to ask her over dinner." He begrudgingly said.

"No, that's too ordinary. It has to be grand." Beverly used her arms for emphasis.

"Shouldn't you be trying to find the N-juice dealer?" Six said.

"Don't change the subject. For your information I have several leads but if you're going to marry my sister you have to do this right!"

Six briefly wondered what the wrong way was. Apparently, everything he was doing. He was about to tell her off when he realized this is Rebecca's sister. They were close. If anyone knew what Rebecca wanted it would be her wouldn't it? So once again swallowing his pride he said, "So how should I propose to her?"

Beverly's smile sent a chill down his spine. "Oh, I have some ideas."

**So how will Six propose? Will she say yes? Will Caesar ever tell Beverly how he feels? What happened to the gift? Will Chad come between them? Will Circe and Rex work things out? Since when did this turn into a soap opera? Find out next time. I know I'm evil. Sorry.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Wow, thanks for all the reviews. So this is the slow build up. I extended Kenwyn's scene for motherafrica since you said you lurve her. I kinda like her too. **

**I do not own.**

**Episode 10**

Before Six would allow Beverly to _help_ him, he insisted that she give an update on her findings. After threatening every person on base to maintain secrecy, Six gathered everyone in the conference room for a meeting. Beverly looked around. It was a who's who of the important people of Providence. Captain Calan, Kenwyn, Rex, Circe, Tuck, and Cricket were on one side of the conference table. Her sister, Caesar, Meechum, and Rylander, who was still in his tube, were on the other side of the table. Bobo and some grunts were milling around in the back. In the middle of the table was Six. Six looked pointedly at Beverly, "What have you discovered so far?"

Beverly didn't know why she was so nervous. These were her friends and family. She cleared her throat and began. She started with confirming what Kenwyn already knew. None of the usual suspects had the N-juice. However, there was a lead thanks to Chad. Caesar scowled at his name. Chad had mentioned about someone supplying N-juice to jocks. She also mentioned that during her time at the principal's office she saw the reflection of chemical compounds off his glasses that made her suspicious. When she was done, the scientists began talking all at once to each other. They continued for a while until finally the discussion started to wind down.

Six used the opportunity in the lull to interject.

Six looked at Holiday. "So what's the verdict?"

Holiday sighed. "We tested the drugs confiscated from the amusement park with the ones that Rex and Circe recently got and found that the two drugs are slightly different. The ones from the amusement park have less of a certain synthetic compound. This may be the drug athletes are using. When we tested it on mice, it enhanced their strength and speed but they didn't go EVO… at least not yet. The ones that Jimmy and Gatlock took were definitely for going EVO. Both also gives a natural high and are highly addictive. Eventually, the drug will overwork a person's heart. But now that we've learned Dr. Fell is involved…"

"Dr. Fell is involved?" Beverly gaped. This was the first time she's heard of this.

Rex jumped in, "Yeah, we found out that Claire's dad Professor Bowman sold his research to Fell to make this drug. Then last night Fell tried to off him."

Beverly's mouth dropped. So the rumors at school were partly true. She looked at Kenwyn who nodded tiredly.

"That's why they weren't in school today." She confirmed.

Six tapped a pen on the notepad he had been writing on. He looked up.

"Rex and Kenwyn" He began. Circe narrowed her eyes. "I want you to sneak into the school tonight and see what's on that computer. "Circe?" Circe turned to Six. "I want you to leave now to check out that possible supplier. Get a sample of that drug, monitor who is buying. Tuck and Cricket provide back up for her. Calan look for any of Fell's last known locations. Somehow he has access to Black Knight's pawns, so start with all locations associated with her. Perhaps you can contact David to see if he knows of any other site that we don't."  
"Got it." Calan responded.  
"Beverly can stop her charade now?" Rebecca asked hopefully.  
"No," Six noted regretfully. "Beverly needs to continue posing as a student for a while. If none of these leads pan out we don't want to start over."  
Rebecca's lip thinned. Six knew she was not happy. Caesar didn't look particularly pleased either.

"Meechum and Beverly should get back now before anyone gets suspicious." Six got up signaling the end of the meeting. "Be careful." He added.

Circe looked like she was about to say something but then decided against it. She walked out without a word to Rex. Tuck and Cricket followed after her.

Rex noticed this and clenched his teeth in frustration.

"Hey, partner. Just like old times, huh?" Kenwyn said to him.

"Hmm, what, oh yeah, old times." Rex looked distracted. "Come on let's figure out what we're going to do."

"Really? You're actually going to plan? Maybe you have changed." Kenwyn teased.

"Naaah, still the same old, same old." Rex grinned.

Caesar and Rylander were discussing something to the exclusion of everyone else. Beverly looked over and sighed.

"Come on, let's get us back home. I don't want to pay Sarah's babysitter overtime." Meechum said grumpily to her. Beverly got up to leave with him.

"Bev," Rebecca called to her sister.

"Yeah, Becca?" Beverly turned.

"Watch out, ok?" She looked like she wanted to say more but held back. Beverly smiled and impulsively gave her a hug. During the hug, Beverly looked over at Six and frowned at him. She made a telephone sign and mouthed _call me._

Six rolled his eyes behind his shades but gave a slight nod.

Beverly let go of Rebecca and gave her a bright smile before leaving with Meechum.

The room soon cleared out with only Six and Holiday left.

Holiday looked at Six, "It's been a busy few days." She commented.

"Yes, it has." Six pushed his shades higher up his nose.

"Six? Is anything wrong?" Holiday got up and walked over to him.

"No why?" Six shoved his hands in his pocket to avoid fiddling with his tie.

"I don't know you seem tense and distant. It's not David is it?" Holiday now had a hand on his arm.

"No, not really." Six replied.

"Because you know I love _you_, right?" She entwined her arms around his neck.

"I know." He said in an almost whisper as his hands settled on her hips. He dipped his head and captured her lips with his. When they parted, he said softly, "I love you." She smiled with half closed eyes and he bent down to kiss her one more time. Six decided no matter how embarrassing it was to him, he would give Rebecca the proposal she always wanted.

0o0

The last of the light was starting to fade by the time Circe and Tuck had reached their destination. Circe had spoken quietly to Cricket before they left and she left separately from them. Tuck was curious but didn't say much.

"So how are we supposed to figure out if this is our guy?" Tuck asked Circe as they sat in an unmarked car parked across the street from a nondescript alley way.

"I have a plan." Circe said.

"Is that where you sent Cricket?" Tuck looked at her.

"You'll see." Circe smirked.

Several minutes passed, when a boy in a dark blue hoodie walked into the alley way. As Tuck and Circe watched from the car, the boy and a shadowy figure engaged in some transaction. The boy then left with a bulge in his pocket.

"Okay," Circe said. "Slowly follow him." She pointed the boy in the hoodie

Tuck started the car and pulled the car into the street at a leisurely pace. Circe watched as the boy turn the corner. Tuck did an admirable job pretending to be a lost driver looking for an address. The boy walked past several apartment buildings before entering one at the end of the block.

"Park here." Circe instructed before hopping out of the car. "Come on." Tuck came out of the car and followed her into the building. Circe skipped the elevator and went straight up the stairs.

"Where are we going?" Tuck asked as they trudged up the stairwell.

"Trust me." Circe said. They reached the tenth floor. Circe opened the door and went straight to an apartment. She rang the doorbell.

"What are you doing?" Tuck grabbed her arm alarmed.

Before Circe could answer the door opened. The boy in the blue hoodie stood grinning.

Tuck's eyes grew wide. "Walter?"

0o0

As soon as Beverly got home she was too impatient to wait for Six's call so she called him instead. He picked up on the third ring. "I thought I was going to call you." He answered tersely.

"Look, do you want to do this right, or not?" Beverly decided she could be as snippy as he was.

Beverly could almost hear Six sighing. "What's the plan?" He finally managed to get out.

"Hot air balloon." She said dramatically.

There was a long pause. "What?"

"Yes!" Beverly almost squealed. "It'll be so romantic."

"So I propose to her in a hot air balloon." Six sounded confused.

"No, not just any proposal. You're going to fly over a wheat field…"

"Where is there a wheat field around here?"

"Or a corn field and we'll have the words, Rebecca will you marry me written out!"

There was silence at the other end.

"Six? Are you still there?"

"Is that really necessary?"

"Of, course. It'll be grand."

"How am I supposed to get her into a hot air balloon?

Beverly paused. "You know there's a county fair tomorrow. And there's a corn maze…"

"Are you serious?"

"You can call and have them arrange the maze into words! Oh that'll be so cool!" Beverly was getting excited. Six was not.

"You want me to do this all by tomorrow?"

"Money talks, you can get it done." Beverly insisted. "If you don't want to do it I'll call them up and arrange it… um, can I have your credit card information?

"Just tell Meechum to charge it the Providence card." Six stated.

"Great! I'll let you know the details." Beverly hung up.

"I'll be waiting with bated breath." Six muttered sarcastically.

0o0

Kenwyn and Rex waited till dark before attempting to break into the school. Kenwyn sat with infrared binoculars on the roof of the building adjacent from the school. She watched as Rex casually walked up to the front of the school.  
"The only security the school has is an alarm system." She said into the comlink.

"Easy peasy," Rex smirked. Looking around he walked to the front door and put his hand on the panel. There was a blue spark and a soft whirl of a system being shut down. The door clicked open.  
Rex pushed the door in and stepped inside.

"The office is down the hall to your left." He heard Kenwyn say.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I went here for a few weeks. I remember where the office is." Rex snuck down the hall. The principal's office was locked. Rex studied the lock for a second before he pulled out his wallet. He took out his credit card and slid it down the crack. When he reached the strike plate, he twisted the card slightly and the door opened. Schools have such cheap locks.

Rex walked in. He quickly went over to the computer and put his hand on it. The computer turned on. Rex told it what he wanted to see. Various files appeared. One was labeled **County Fair Transaction**. But before he could open it, Kenwyn's panic stricken voice came on his comlink. "Rex I'm picking up some strange readings in the office. Get out of there now!"

"I'm almost done," Rex was so close.

Suddenly gas flooded the room. Rex started coughing and gagging. The room began to spin and he fell to the floor.  
"Rex, Rex?" Kenwyn called frantically but he was unresponsive. Once again she cursed his careless nature. She had picked up a spike in electronic activity in the room. She tried to warn him but now it was too late. Did she dare blow her cover? That was a no brainer. She bounded down the fire escape and ran across the street. When she reached the hallway a strange gas was coming out of the principal's office. She paused wondering what to do when a roar came from the office. A bio-mechanical EVO with blue flames for hair emerged from the office cracking parts of the door frame.  
"R..Rex?" Kenwyn asked nervously recognizing Rex's EVO form from training videos. The EVO formed a sword and slashed at Kenwyn. She ducked. The sword sliced through some lockers.  
"No, Rex, it's me Kenwyn." She cried. The EVO didn't seem to hear. It came after her. She ran towards the front door which suddenly shut. She tried to open the door but they were stuck tight. She turned around just in time to see Rex swing his sword again. She leapt to the side. The sword got stuck in the wall. Kenwyn ran. She burst into the auditorium. She knew there was an emergency exit here. She spotted them at the front of the stage. She ran down the aisle. The door of the auditorium blew open. Kenwyn was thrown by the force of the blast. She rolled and hit the bottom of the stage. Getting up with a hand to her head, she saw EVO Rex coming. Using her hands to hoist herself on stage she ran to the curtains. Tugging with all her strength the curtain dropped on top of Rex. Rex struggled to free himself from the thick fabric. Kenwyn saw his sword starting to rip through. Grabbing a stage rope she made a lasso and tossed it around the EVO. When the rope was sufficiently tight she cut the sandbags attached to the ropes and the pulley yanked him up. The EVO smashed through the metal lights and platforms up top before crashing back onto the ground. Kenwyn looked to see if the EVO was moving. Just as she got near, she saw a familiar blue flash and the figure underneath the cloth seemed to shrink.

"Ow, anyone get the license plate number of that steam roller?" Rex muttered from underneath the curtain.

"Rex? Is that you?" Kenwyn asked tentatively.

"Of course it's me. What's going on?" Rex found the opening and his head poked through. They heard police sirens in the distant.

"I'll explain later. Let's get out of here first." Kenwyn grabbed Rex and dragged him to his feet. They exited through the emergency doors and disappeared into the night.

0o0

Beverly sat in her room on the first floor where Meechum had placed her. Using her laptop she found all the necessary information she needed to set up her plan. Then she spent thirty minutes on the phone with the organizers of the County Fair. They were delighted to arrange the corn maze for her especially when she quoted the figure she was willing to pay. They had already started cutting the maze into the cornfield but the designer found a way to still spell out the necessary words. They assured her it would be ready by tomorrow afternoon.

After Beverly had hung up, her cell immediately rang. She checked to see the number. It was Chad.

"Hello?" She said hesitantly.

"Hey Bev, it's me Chad."

"Hey Chad, what's up?" Beverly tried to sound casual.

"I know this is a little last minute but would you like to go with me to the County Fair tomorrow?" He sounded a little nervous.

Beverly was torn. Yes, she wanted to go to fair tomorrow if only so she could see her sister's face. But she wasn't sure she wanted to go with him.

"Hello?" Chad's voice squeaked.

"Oh, sorry, I was checking my calendar." Beverly lied. "Sure, it looks like I'm free. I'd love to go with you to the fair tomorrow."

"Great." Chad said relieved. "I'll pick you up around noon?"

"Better make it 11." Beverly said. "Don't want to miss anything." Beverly was giddy with excitement. Now she'll get to see her sister's proposal. She let out a joyful squeal.

What Beverly did not know was there was a very sad scientist at the other side of her door. He had overheard her conversation and interpreted her squeals as excitement for her date with Chad. He sorrowfully pulled out the box with her necklace and placed it on the floor of her room. Then he turned and left.

0o0

Holiday took another blood sample from Rex.

"You know if you keep taking more blood I won't have any left for the vampires." Rex joked.

Holiday glared at him. "Rex this is no joke. Kenwyn said there was some strange gas and you went EVO."

"Yeah, about that, the last thing I remembered was seeing a file marked County Fair Transaction. Kenwyn said there will be a fair tomorrow. Noah's mom is making her go. You think maybe something's going down?"

"It's possible." Holiday admitted. Before she could say anymore, Six walked in.

He nodded to Rebecca. Then he turned to address Rex. "Kenwyn informed me as to what happened. You ok?"

"I'm fine. Don't remember a thing." Rex shrugged.

Six looked a Holiday. "What happened?"

Rebecca sighed. "I found traces of chemical on his clothes and in his blood stream. Preliminary tests show that it's from the gas which had the synthetic compounds that activate nanites. Since Rex's nanites were already active, it hypercharged them so that he went into his full EVO form albeit smaller." Rebecca tiredly rubbed her eyes. "It seemed it was temporary but Six this is getting more and more disturbing."

Six agreed. "So the gas was some defense mechanism in the office."

"It would seem that the principal is somehow involved." Rebecca put a drop of blood onto a slide and slipped it under the microscope. "Just as I suspected, the chemicals are the same as the other two samples of drugs. Fell somehow has developed three types of N-juice."

"Why?" Six frowned.

"That's the million dollar question." Rex noted from the medical table. He hopped off. "Doc, Six, I think we need to go to that County Fair tomorrow."

"Yes, there could be some sort of drug deal tomorrow." Rebecca replied.

"We'll be there." Six promised calmly. Inside, however, Six had a moment of panic. Beverly had called him a few minutes after Kenwyn had briefed him to tell him everything was set up. All he had to do was arrive, get Rebecca into the waiting hot air balloon in the afternoon, and point out the message as they floated above. It sounded simple enough but now there was the added element of danger. On the other hand, it gave a plausible excuse as to why he would even take Rebecca to the fair. This was getting too complicated. But Six as always remained stoic.

"Get some rest, Rex. We have a big day tomorrow." He didn't know how right he was.

**Don't worry, I'm getting there. It's probably not quite what you're expecting though.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I do not own.**

**Episode 11**

"Walter!" Tuck exclaimed. "How have you been?" Tuck was thrilled to see his friend.

"Good, dude. It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry, I haven't called. Been busy." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Come on in." He ushered them into his studio apartment. Cricket waved from the couch.

"Hey, Tuck. Doesn't Walter have a great place?" She asked.

Tuck looked at Circe, "Was this your plan?"

Circe smiled slyly. "He called the other day to say he was coming back so I asked if he could help us out. No one knows who he is, so it should be easy for him to slip in and pretend to be a jock."

"Or a wanna be jock." Walter smirked, "I gave him a sob story about my dad wanting me to make it on the team and I needed something to bulk me up. He bought it and…" Walter pulled the vial out of his pocket, "I snag myself one of these babies." He handed it to Circe.

"Nice, "Tuck grinned. Then he frowned. "Now what?"

"I'm going to bring this to Dr. Holiday. You guys need to monitor that corner and see who else shows up to purchase these things." Circe carefully put the vial away.

"Great, a stake out." Tuck rolled his eyes.

"It's not so bad…" Cricket smiled shyly. "When there's company."

Tuck looked at her and smiled back.

Walter cleared his throat. "Hey, would you mind if I tag along?" He addressed Circe. "I haven't seen Rex in a while. Kinda wanna drop by and say hi." He shrugged like it wasn't a big deal.

Circe nodded, "Sure. I know Rex would be happy to see you. He and Kenwyn should be back from their mission." When she mentioned Kenwyn's name, Walter's eyes lit up.

"Well, let's go." Walter said eagerly. "Don't want to keep my fans waiting."

Circe laughed and punched him in the arm. Walter draped his arm around her and they walked out together.

0o0

"Get some rest, Rex. We have a big day tomorrow." Just as Six had finish talking to Rex, Circe and Walter walked in.

"Dr. Holiday, we got a sample of the drug." Circe said excitedly. She handed the vial to Holiday who immediately uncorked it and prepped it for analysis.

Rex smiled when he saw Walter, "Dude, great to see you." He walked over to greet his friend. They gave each other a fist bump. "When did you get back and how come you didn't tell me?"

"Sorry, it was a last minute thing. It's actually a pretty cool reason but I'll tell you all about it later. It seems like you're in a middle of something." He nervously looked at Six who looked disapprovingly at Walter.

"Hey, don't sweat it. I'm done. Want to go a couple rounds of Summo Slammers?" Rex asked with a grin.

"Sure, but you're going down, as usual." Walter smirked.

"In your dreams." Rex scoffed as he walked toward the door.

"Rex, you need to rest up for tomorrow." Six reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah, it'll only take a few minutes to wipe the floor with him." Rex said in his usual confident manner.

"Puh-leese." Walter snorted, "The day you can beat me is the day Bobo goes on a diet."

They were still smack talking when they left the room. Six shook his head in exasperation.

"Six, come look at this." Holiday called him over.

Six walked over to the computer terminal Holiday was working at.

"What am I looking at?" He asked a little overwhelmed by the data flashing on the screen.

"This sample is the exact same thing we confiscated at the amusement park." She said. "It proves that somehow the drug is slipping through the radar and getting to the street. We need to find out who's been taking this."

"Tuck and Cricket are monitoring the corner now." Circe said.

"Great, this should help us see how prevalent this is." Holiday replied. "Good job, Circe."

"If you don't need me anymore, I'm going to find Rex and Walter." Circe blushed from the praise.

"Of course." Holiday smiled warmly.

"Make sure they don't stay up all night playing video games." Six added as she left.

Holiday laughed. "You sound just like a father."

Six's jaw clenched. "I'm not sure I'm father material."

Rebecca got up and faced Six. "You'd be a great father. I know because you've been a great father to Rex." She tiptoed and lightly kissed him on the cheek. She turned to leave the room. "I need to show this to Caesar and Rylander and then I'm turning in for the night. Good night Six."

Six swallowed hard. "Good night, Rebecca." As he watched her leave, he decided he should follow his own advice and turn in for the night...

Except Six couldn't sleep. Tossing and turning all night, he kept going over tomorrow in his head. Several possibilities occurred to him: He takes her in the hot air balloon, she sees the message, and she agrees to marry him; or he takes her in the hot air balloon, she sees the message, and she rejects him. He wasn't sure which was worse. That's not to say he didn't want to be with her. He did. He absolutely knew he loved her. But marriage was not something to be taken lightly. In his fear that David would move in on his girlfriend he jumped to drastic measures. He glanced at his clock. It read 4:30. He knew sleep was a hopeless cause. He might as well get an early jump on the day.

0o0

When Beverly got up the next morning, she was surprised when she opened her door. On the floor she noticed a small white box. She picked it up and looked around. She cautiously opened the box. It was a simple gold chain with a diamond studded letter B attached.

"What's that?" Sarah materialized at her elbow.

Beverly looked up. "Do you know who left this here?"

Sarah looked at the necklace." Ohh pretty. I bet Dr. Salazar left it here."

"You mean Caesar?" Beverly asked startled.

Sarah nodded vigorously. Then in a low voice said, "Daddy, said he can't come around anymore but he still shows up sometimes. Something about being a kitchen destroying love-struck darn fool." Sarah skipped away.

Beverly's jaw dropped. She looked at the necklace. Caesar got it for her? He was love-struck? Suddenly, she felt like a heel for going out with Chad. The doorbell rang. Crap, he was here. It was too late to cancel. She decided she'd make it up to Caesar later. She put the necklace in her room before running to answer the door.

0o0

Six was exhausted and nervous… two bad combinations. Rebecca who was driving kept glancing worriedly at him. They were in an unmarked Providence vehicle. They didn't want to scare away any potential criminals. Six was in his usual suit but Rebecca was in some jeans and a white blouse. She was worried that her usual attire was a little too conspicuous. Calan was not far behind waiting just in case. Rebecca could sense that there was something different. Problem was she couldn't put her finger on it. Maybe it was the way he kept pushing his shades up or the way he was fiddling with something in his pocket.

"You okay Six?" She asked finally when he pushed his shades up for the umpteenth time.

"Fine." He said tersely.

Rebecca sighed. When he was like this there was no talking to him. So they maintained the awkward silence until she pulled into the parking lot of the County Fair.

"Do you see Rex or Circe?" Rebecca looked around.

Six did a quick scan. "No, but there's Kenwyn." Rebecca looked in Six's direction. Sure enough Kenwyn was there along with Noah, his mom, and Claire. She felt a sudden pang of sadness for Claire when she remembered her father was still in a coma in the hospital. She noted how pale she looked. No doubt Mrs. Nixon had insisted that she get out for some fresh air. Rebecca knew that was what she would have done.

"Come on." Six lightly grabbed her elbow and steered her through the entrance.

She wondered what the urgency was. She could feel the tenseness in Six's body. Looking around she spotted Rex, Circe, and Walter.

"Six," She started to say but he interrupted her.

"I see them." He stated. He checked his watch. To Rebecca's surprise he said, "Let's check things out from above."

"What do you mean?" She noticed that he hadn't let go of her arm and had been leading her purposefully somewhere.

"I mean get a bird's eye view." He stopped at the hot air balloons.

"Really?" Rebecca looked at Six oddly. "Why a hot air balloon?"

Six shrugged, "Well, we don't want to draw any attention and this will help us keep an eye out for suspicious activities."

Rebecca thought about it. She couldn't find the fault in the logic but somehow it still seemed strange. "Ok." She gave up trying to figure out what was wrong with Six.

0o0

"Oh, there they are." Circe said excitedly as Six and Rebecca headed for the hot air balloons. "Do you think they're ready with the message?"

Rex nodded, "Yeah, Beverly made me check this morning. It's all set."

Circe grinned until she noticed Rex looking at her. "What?"

"We're okay, then?" Rex asked softly.

Circe looked at the ground. "I'm sorry, Rex. I guess we should talk."

Rex agreed. "Yeah, we should."

"Walter said that I was…" Circe started.

"Wait, you talked to Walter and not me?" Rex frowned.

"Well, yeah, he asked how I was doing and I told him." Circe looked at Rex confused. "But when I ask you, you give me the silent treatment." Rex said annoyed.

"That's because I was angry with you." Circe getting equally annoyed.

"Why? What did I do?" Rex asked angrily.

"Ohh, there's Kenwyn. " Walter said suddenly. "Catch you guys later." Walter stuck his hands in his pocket and ambled over to where Kenwyn was standing.

Rex and Circe were left alone.

"Well?" Rex asked not wanting to let her off the hook.

"Shouldn't we be looking for the drug dealers or something?" Circe tried to change the subject.

"Oh no you don't. You're always doing this. You don't tell me stuff and then you get all mad when I don't know what's going on." Rex said.

"I have told you Rex! You just don't get it."

"Well, then tell me again."

"Uh, guys, I hate to interrupt but I saw some strange people around the animal pens." Bobo's voice startled them. Rex pressed his comlink.

"Bobo, what are you doing here?" He furrowed his brow. "You're supposed to be back at base."

"Hey, there's fair food here." He snorted. "But it's a good thing I am here. With all your human drama you're missing the bad guys."

"Fine, I'll go check it out." Rex grumbled. He looked at Circe who was looking at the ground. In a gentler tone he said, "We'll talk later?"

Circe just nodded.

Rex wandered over to the animal pens. Bobo was right there were strange people skulking around. They all wore red flannel shirts and denim overalls. He supposed their clothes weren't that strange at a county fair. It was the overall vibes they were giving off. He followed them into a booth. Inside there were pigs of all shapes and sizes.

Rex looked at one called Cabbage who looked like it ate a lot of cabbages as well as some other things. Rex peered at the clipboard attached to the pen. It was up for 1st in show. He rubbed the pig's head.

"Good luck porker." He said. The pig grunted contently at him. Rex walked on to the next stall. Suddenly, Cabbage squealed. Rex looked back and it began transforming. Its snout elongated plus limbs grew out. Tusks shot out of its mouth. As it got larger it started to take the tent with it.

"Ay caramba!" Rex looked at the monstrosity. The EVO pig gave a roar and rush out toward the cornfield.

"No, no! Not that way!" Rex thought of Six and Rebecca.

Rex formed his boogie back and flew after it. He made his smack hands and hit the monster right in its nose. The EVO's eyes glowed and out of its snout flew a fireball… which much to Rex's chagrin landed right in the middle of the maze.

0o0

Six got Holiday into the balloon. The operator fired up the burner. The balloon slowly lifted. Six arms were folded across his chest and he a fingered tapped impatiently. Holiday didn't seem to notice his agitation. She chatted with the operator asking him questions about the fair. He guessed it was to gather information. But that wasn't what he was thinking about. What was taking the balloon so long to get off the ground?

Finally, the balloon became buoyant. Slowly, it started to float up.

When they were high enough Six cleared his throat and asked Rebecca, "Do you see anything?"

"Oh my gosh!" Rebecca cried.

That was sort of a good sign. But what she said next wasn't.

"The maze is on fire."

"What?" Six peered over the side. Black smoke rose from the field. It obscured most of the view of the field. They couldn't see anything much less a certain proposal. Six clenched his jaw.

A pig-like EVO flew out of the smoke, followed by Rex with his smack hands. He punched the pig EVO who bounced a few times taking out several more booths. It then blew fireballs from its snout. Rex ducked but another part of the fair burst into flames. While Rex was distracted the EVO body slammed him into the ground.

The people around them were screaming and scrambling to get away. Circe pushed her way through the crowd to get to the fire. Concentrating she used her sonic blast to smother the fire. With the fire taken care of there was only the EVO to put down and Rex was currently squashed into the ground.

Six stood the edge of the basket. Blades shot out of his sleeves and he jumped from the balloon. As he plunged towards the EVO, he did a 360 degree flip and hit the monster with his feet first knocking it to the ground. He then jumped off and got into a fighting stance. The EVO rolled over and charged Six with its tusks. Six sidestepped it and jumped high enough to reach its head to knock the back of its head with the handle of his blade. THE EVO staggered and turned for another pass. Six easily avoided the attack. At last the EVO was exhausted. Six did one final round house kick to the head. It fell down with a weak roar. Rex stumbled over to Six after Circe had helped him out of the dirt. He put his hand on the EVO. Blue lines circumvented the monster and it slowly lost mass to turn back into a simple pig. When he was done, Rex dropped to his knees, exhausted. The pig came over and nuzzled him before wandering off.

"You need more training." Six said dryly.

"You need another proposal idea." Rex said looking at the burnt up field.

Six growled and Rex flinched.

0o0

Beverly and Chad had to take public transportation to the fair. But everyone and their grandmother seemed to be on their way to the fair. So it was slow going. Beverly checked her watch. Darn the traffic. She missed the proposal. She sighed.

"Sorry, about the ghetto transport." Chad apologized.

"Oh, no, don't worry about it. We'll get there eventually." She tried to be gracious.

"Any reason why you wanted to be there early?" He asked.

"No, not really. " Inside she was seething. _Yes! I wanted to see my sister get proposed to._

"Well, we should be there soon." He said hopefully

The bus they were riding on jolted to a stop. Beverly was thrown forward and fell into Chad's arms. When she realized her face was pressed against his chest, she quickly pulled away.

"What happened?" She turned her face so he wouldn't see how red her face was.

When she did she gasped. There was thick black smoke rising from the county fair.

"Wow, looks like a war zone." Chad commented.

Beverly didn't answer. She bolted out of the bus not heeding Chad's call to come back.

She ran past the line of cars stuck in traffic. She didn't stop until she reached the entrance of the fair. People were running past her screaming but Beverly was only focused on finding her sister. Hands abruptly grabbed her shoulders. She was pulled out of the way of the stampeding people. She looked to see Kenwyn and a boy whose name escaped her. The boy held her fast.

"Beverly, get out of here. Before they see you." Kenwyn hissed.

"Becca," She managed to get out.

"Everyone's fine. Now get out." The boy who had an iron grip on her shoulder turned her around and shoved her into the sea of people running away from the fair.

As the crowd pushed Beverly along she spotted Chad who was fighting his way through to find her.

"Chad, over here." She called waving her hand.

Chad looked relieved as he made his way over. "You scared me. What were you thinking?"

"Oh, I just wanted to see what was going on. But they wouldn't let me in." She tried to sound sulky.

"You're crazy." But the words were said lightly.

"Yeah, I know." The crowd was starting to thin and they were not pushed along like they were.

"Well, I guess the fair is a bust but we can maybe catch a movie?" Chad suggested hopefully.

"I… I… should be getting home." Beverly stammered remembering the necklace at home.

"Oh," Chad looked crestfallen.

"Maybe next time." Beverly said consolingly.

"Actually, I was meaning to ask you if you'd go to the prom with me." Chad said.

Beverly paused and looked at him incredulously. "Prom."

Chad rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Yeah you know its kinda next week. I wasn't going to go originally because there wasn't anyone I wanted to take… until now."

Beverly felt her face flush. "Um… well… I… uh… Can I get back to you on that?" Beverly was at a lost as to how to answer.

"Well, it is on Friday." Chad said.

"I'll let you know before then." Beverly assured him.

"Okay." He smiled. "Let's get you home."

He called a cab to take them back.

0o0

Providence had their hands full cleaning up the mess.

Calan walked over to Six, "It was all a diversion. I found that several cargo crates shipped to the fair have mysteriously disappeared and this." Calan handed Six a dart. "Best guess is they injected the pig with N-juice to make it go EVO."

Six cursed under his breath.

"Yeah," He paused, "Sorry about the… you know…"

"We have bigger problem right now." Six said grimly.

Holiday walked over, "I heard." She said dismally. "Is everyone okay?"

"Yes, but we need to regroup and talk about our next move. They seem to be one step ahead of us." Six stated dourly.

The group went back to Providence. Since Kenwyn was technically undercover she had to go home with Noah. Walter went with them. Rex didn't even get a chance to talk to Noah to see how Claire's father was doing. They sat demoralized around the conference table.

"Wow, who died?" Bobo looked around the room. All eyes glared at Bobo. "Yeesh, sorry, I asked." He walked to the back of the room with the other grunts.

"So now what?" Calan asked the question no one wanted to.

Six was absent-mindedly fingering the box in his pocket. "We need another lead."

"Got that right here, sir." Tuck said walking in with a tablet tucked under his arm.

Everyone perked up. Tuck plugged the tablet into the large screen.

"You had us monitor who was buying at the corner and…" Tuck hit play.

They watched a stream of teenage boys come and go. "But do you know what the interesting thing is?"

"They all shop at the same store." Rex noted outfits.

"Actually, that's not far off. They all go to East Side High School." Tuck said.

Rex blinked, "Wait, that's the school that Gabriel and Michael went to."

Everyone looked at Rex in confusion. "Remember? That time I went to Noah's school so I could play table tennis."

"Oh, yeah." Everyone nodded.

"Do you think that maybe the Coach has been getting his team to take these enhancement drugs?" Rex asked.

"It's possible." Six agreed.

Tuck continued, "Tomorrow afternoon East Side High School's soccer team is playing an exhibition game at the new stadium against Benjamin Franklin High School."

"We can check out the players discretely during the game." Calan said.

"Sounds good. Someone get word to Kenwyn about the plan." Six said. "Meeting tomorrow morning to run everything over. No mistakes this time."

With that everyone left.

Rebecca glanced at Six before leaving to run some tests on the pig. Six was left to his own thoughts. Of all the outcomes this was not what he was expecting.

His cell phone rang. He looked at it and almost groaned. It was Beverly.

"What happened?" She demanded.

"Hello, to you too." Six said flatly.

" Don't give me that. So?" Beverly waited.

Suppressing a sigh Six gave a quick version of what happened.

"Is everyone all right?" Beverly asked worried.

"There were no fatalities." Six answered.

" So what's the next step? Do I need to go back to look for more clues?" Beverly asked.

"No, we have another lead." He quickly told her about tomorrow.

"You'll be in the new stadium with that huge flat screen?" Six did not like how she sounded.

"I don't know. I've never been to it." Six stated.

"But it's been on the news. I have an idea." She said eagerly.

"Why do I have a feeling I won't like it?" Six muttered.

"Don't be silly. It's easy. During half time have the announcer ask Rebecca to marry you!"

"I guess that's fool proof." Six said uncertainly.

"Of course it is. Just write out the message and slip it to the guy in the announcer box." Beverly said.

"Fine." Six simply said and hung up. This would have been so much easier if no one had found out in the first place. He decided that now was a good time for that extra training with Rex.

0o0

Rex went looking for Caesar since he hadn't seen his brother for a while. He found Caesar face down alseep on his desk surrounded by empty smoothie containers.

"Bro, you okay?" Rex shook his shoulder.

"Mijo, is that you." Caesar looked at Rex with his blood shot eyes.

Rex wrinkled his nose, "Is that smell you? What have you been drinking?" He carefully sniffed one of the cups. He immediately moved the offensive item away.

"Oh you know mango smoothies, lots of mango smoothies." Caesar grabbed one that had a straw in it. His speech was slurred and he had trouble putting the straw in his mouth.

"Bro, this is not just a mango smoothie." Rex said guiding the straw to Caesar's mouth.

"I might have put some tequila into it." Caesar said after he swallowed.

"What?" Rex cried.

"Oww, not so loud, mijo. Mi cabeza is killing me." Caesar's head hit the desk again.

"Dude, you need to get to bed." Rex picked his brother up by the arm and pulled him up.

"Ooof, you're heavy." Rex was supporting all of his brother's weight. He slowly dragged him to his room.

"You know, I've never drank before."

"Yeah? No kidding." Rex grunted as he continued to haul his brother's dead weight down the hall.

"It doesn't make it hurt less." He mumbled.

"What hurt less?" Rex asked.

"Rejection. You know I've never had anyone reject me before. Sure they argued about my ideas and sanity but they never outright say you're a reject." He lunged forward and almost toppled both of them.

Rex readjusted and pulled him the last couple of feet to his room. He opened the door and dumped his brother into his bed.

"It's my fault really. I took too long." With that Caesar passed out.

Rex shook his head. He had no idea what that was about.

"Good night, bro." He shut off the lights and closed the door. When he turned around he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Six, what the…" Rex started.

"Training now!" Six gripped his shoulder and steered him to the training rooms.

"But…but… but…" Rex tried to protest.

"We've been slacking. No more excuses."

Rex had a feeling this was payback and he wasn't going to like it one bit.

**So not sure if this is what you were expecting or if you even like the ideas. But believe it or not I've been working on this for months. I'm not sure if I'm totally satisfied with how it turned out but it's out. Yes, there will be some fails in the proposal department. Thanks for your comments. Let me know what you think.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Ok soap alert. Hope you're still enjoying it. **

**I do not own any of the characters.**

**Episode 12**

Rex could barely move in the morning.

"What happened to you?" Circe asked as he limped into the cafeteria for breakfast.

"Six. We went through three hours of _training_ last night because of," He looked around to see if Six was about, "the ring incident." He whispered.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Circe said. "But if it was your friend you'd do the same."

"Yeah, I know." Rex went to grab some juice and toast. He shuffled back. "So you want to talk?"

Circe stabbed at some pancakes. "I guess." She shrugged.

There was silence as Circe tried to figure out what to say. "I told you a while ago that I didn't have anyone growing up, right? I was bounced from foster home to foster home until I went EVO. Then I was really on my own. I would have died if Van Kleiss hadn't found me and gave me a home. I thought I owed him."

Rex remained silent as Circe went through her history again.

"And that's how I thought the world worked. You earn things, home, friends, family... love." She took a shaky breath. "Then I met you. And it was different. I didn't have to do anything to earn... well, to earn anything. You accepted me the way I was. You forgave me for... for pretty much everything. I didn't even have to ask."

She stopped as she turned her last piece of pancake to mush.

"And?" Rex prompted.

"Well, I have a hard time believing it's so easy. I still think I have to work for all the things I have now. So I guess what I' my saying is that when I see you with other… with others, I can't help but think that you'd want to be with them instead of me."

She didn't look at him. Her eyes were fixated on the demolished food on her plate.

Rex finally understood. "Kenwyn and I are just friends and even if she or anyone else wanted more, that's not gonna happen. Because _you're_ my girlfriend."

"I want to believe that Rex. I really do but it's hard to stop thinking a certain way after living that way for so many years. Ya know?" Circe still wouldn't look at him.

"So where does that leave us?" Rex asked uncomfortable with where this is going.

"It's my problem and it's not fair that I make you deal with it." She took another deep breath. "I think we need to take a break so I can sort out my issues. I don't want to make you walk on eggshells and then get mad at you for things that aren't your fault."

It wasn't what he wanted to hear. "Circe…" He took hold of her hand. She slowly looked at him. "Circe, you don't have to do this." Rex was at a lost as to what to say. His thoughts were jumbled.

"Please, Rex this is hard enough." To his horror tears were forming in her eyes. "I need time."

"And what if I can't wait for you?" Rex argued.

"Then it wasn't meant to be." She said sadly. She picked up her tray and walked away. Rex watched her disappear as a sharp pain started in his chest.

"Why are the lights so bright?" Caesar staggered to the table and fell into a chair. "Rex, mijo, can you get me a cup of very black coffee? I can't seem to move this morning." Caesar had on dark shades and was resting his head in his hands.

"That makes the two of us." Rex slowly got up. He hobbled back with Caesar's coffee.

"Gracias, mijo. Seriously, stay away from alcohol. It doesn't help at all and now I feel like I ate my slippers." He tentatively took a sip of the coffee then decided his head was too heavy to hold up. It dropped on the table with a thud.

"You two look like a couple of 80 year olds. What's eatin' ya?" Bobo brought over a tray piled with food.

"Circe just broke up with me." Rex said tiredly.

"Really? Sorry, mijo." Caesar said his head still on the table. "I guess we're the lonely hearts club, huh?"

"Speak for yourself." Bobo scoffed.

Rex looked at the chimp. "Wait, you're telling me you have a girlfriend?"

"I don't kiss and tell." Bobo smirked.

"You know what? I don't want to know." Rex grumbled while picking at his toast.

"Can you not talk so loud? It feels like I have twenty elephants bowling behind my eyeballs." Caesar complained

"Hey, why the long faces?" Holiday showed up with her usual cup of coffee and cereal.

"Circe broke up with me." Rex muttered.

"Beverly has a new beau." Caesar's muffled voice came from on the table

"I don't kiss and tell." Bobo said shoving food into his mouth.

"Oh Rex, I'm so sorry but are you sure? Caesar, what beau? Don't talk with your mouth full, Bobo." Holiday addressed all three of them, in three different tones.

"It's okay. I guess it was inevitable." Rex sighed.

"Yeah," Bobo agreed spraying crumbs from his mouth. "Girl's got more issues than a magazine stand."

"That's not fair to judge." Holiday said moving further away from the chimp. "Did she say she was breaking up?"

"Well, she thought we needed to take a break… which is code for break up." Rex crushed the last of his toast."

"Well usually it means that but I think Circe really does want to sort out her issues. And I happen to know she really cares about you." Holiday stated. Rex just nodded miserably.

Holiday sighed and then turned to Caesar, "What do you mean Beverly has a boyfriend?"

"I heard her make a date with Chad." He said still with his head down.

"Chad? Isn't that what stymied the 2000 presidential elections in Florida?" Bobo asked.

Everyone looked at the chimp, even Caesar managed to slightly lift his head.

"What? I read books." He took another bite out of his breakfast burrito.

Holiday shook her head before addressing Rex, "Listen Rex, I know it hurts right now but take it one day at a time. And figure out what you want. I think that will help Circe figure out what she wants." Holiday advised. She turned to Caesar. She couldn't believe what she was about to say, "Caesar, Beverly isn't fickle. I believe she likes you. And if she likes you she's not going to go get a boyfriend… unless you give her reason to."

Caesar groaned. Holiday patted him on the head. "I'll let you two sort it out. But if you break her heart I'm going to tear out yours." Holiday finished her coffee and stood up.

"Come on, Six is waiting for us." She took her tray over to the receptacle.

"That's not an idle threat. Her soon-to-be-fiancé doesn't play." Bobo told Caesar.

"And he's still the sixth deadliest man alive." Rex added.

Caesar just groaned again.

0o0

Six scrutinized his team. Rex was moving like an octogenarian while Caesar didn't look like he was faring any better. Bobo was cleaning out his ear with his pencil, Six made a mental note to burn that pencil later. Circe looked like she was ready to cry. The only one who looked remotely ready was Holiday. It was a good thing today's mission wasn't too hard.

"We're just going to go in and observe the players of East Side High School. I've talked to Kenwyn. She and Noah will try to find information from the inside. Caesar, I know you've been working on something that can detect the drug?"

"Yes," He pulled a small machine the size of a compact smart phone. "This can detect the N-juice's unique chemical signature for up to 100 meters. If there's even a gram of the substance it will give you a positive reading. Unfortunately, it won't tell you exactly where it's coming from."

"Well, at least it's something." Rex said.

"You don't need me to go, do you?" Caesar asked tiredly.

"No, you can stay behind but I need to find out if there's a way to deactivate those nanites without hurting the individual. We were luck yesterday that it was an animal that went EVO so Rex was able to cure it. If it had been a person who didn't want to be cured…"

"I'll look into it. But I think the best course of action would be to contain them until the drug runs out of their system." Caesar said.

"Doesn't hurt to be proactive." Six stated. He then looked at Circe. "Please stay here and give Caesar a hand."

"But what about the…" Circe began.

"We don't need all of us there." Six interrupted. Circe merely nodded and looked away.

"Meet in the hanger in two hours." Six got up and left.

0o0

Rex and Bobo walked toward the announcer box.

"Shoot, I left my cell in the car. I gotta go back for it. Hold the note." Rex handed the piece of paper to Bobo.

"Hurry up, the hot dog line is getting long!" Bobo grumbled. He tucked th note under his arm. A bunch of teenager rushed past him and nearly knocked him over. He swung his arms to keep from falling, but the paper got lost in the shuffle. In a panic Bobo looked all around. When he couldn't find it he ran to a vender. He hung from his arms

"Hey buddy, can I borrow a pen and paper? Thanks." He used his feet to grab a pen and ripped a page out of the notepad he had on the counter.

The vender just stared at the chimp. Bobo quickly scribbled a message on the paper just before Rex came back.

"Hey Bobo, thanks for holding the note for me." Rex said taking the letter back.

"No problem chief." Bobo said nervously. "I'm gonna check out the concession stands."

Bobo made a beeline for the food. Rex shook his head and entered the announcer box.

The stadium was large. Six looked around. It was crowded with students from both high schools as well as other spectators. He stood in the back of the second tier with Rebecca. She was checking the device Caesar made. "Six, I'm getting a positive reading. The drug is somewhere in this stadium."

"Good, then we know that we're not on a wild goose chase." Six noted.

"Six, are you sure you're okay. You've been acting strange these last few days." Holiday said softly.

"How so?" Six inquired.

"Well, you've been avoiding me for starters." She said.

"It wasn't my intention. I've been busy." Six pushed his shades up his nose. Then added in a strained voice, "Sorry."

Rebecca knew he was hiding something but decided now was not the place to address it. "Maybe we can go out for dinner later?" She looked at him sideways.

"That would be… nice." If all went well, dinner wouldn't be a problem.

"Good." Holiday smiled and turned her attention back to the machine. Six tightened his grip on the box in his pocket as his chest also tightened.

He had spotted Rex carefully making his way to the announcer box. Hopefully, everything would go well.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be in here." One of them said.

"Listen, can you do me a huge favor?" Rex handed the announcer a note. "Please, please read this at half time for my friend… otherwise he'll kill me."

The announcer looked at the note. His face softened. "Sure, I will."

"Thanks a million. Now maybe I'll live to see my next birthday." Rex left the announcers looking puzzled.

As he left the box, he gave Six a thumbs up to let him know that the deed was done. Six gave a slight nod and turned his attention back to scanning the stands.

0o0

Kenwyn sat in the front row with Noah and Annie. Claire had opted not to come. Her father was still in a coma. Kenwyn watched the teams warm up. If East Side High athletes were using N-juice you couldn't tell. They were scrawny kids.

"How do they look?" Kenwyn whispered to Noah who was sitting next to her.

"They look the same as last year." Noah shrugged.

The referee blew the whistle and the teams got into their positions.

Kenwyn leaned over to Noah, "Okay, I'm going in." She discretely got up and pretended to go to the bathrooms.

Meanwhile, the game started. East Side High School got the ball first since they won the coin toss. The ball began to go back and forth. Federico intercepted a wild kick by the other team. Everyone cheered as Federico ran the ball down the field. Then he did a great outside shot. The ball went in and the crowd went wild. The other team retrieved the ball but Federico prevented them from scoring. Thanks to Federico Franklin High dominated the first half. When half time arrived Franklin had scored three goals.

Federico ran back to the benches. Annie ran to greet him. As she passed by the other players one by one they were taken out by random acts such as one player slipped on a wet patch and fell, another's foot was swallowed by a sinkhole, and another got hit in the back of the head by an errant ball.

"You're doing great!" Annie hugged Federico.

"Gracias," He blushed.

"Federico, get her out of here and hit the locker room." The coach of the Franklin High team bellowed. He walked over to help the player get his foot out of the sinkhole.

"Sorry, Annie. I'll see you later?" Federico said shyly.

"Sure. Break a leg!" She called. As she passed by the drink table, it snapped and the heavy drink dispenser fell on the coach's leg. He cried out in pain as he held his leg. The medical staff rushed to treat him. Everyone eyed Annie fearfully.

As Annie walked back to her seat all the people scrambled away from her.

"What's with everyone?" She asked.

Noah didn't say anything but edged away from her a little. It was then he realized that Kenwyn still hadn't returned. He looked around frantically but didn't see her anywhere.

0o0

While the game was going on, Kenwyn secretly made it to the other team's locker room. A large man was standing outside guarding the room. Kenwyn frowned. How was she going to get inside?

"Need some help?" Kenwyn spun around to see Walter standing behind her. He had a crooked grin. "By the way, I like your blouse."

"It's a t-shirt and you can stop using that line now." Kenwyn couldn't help smiling. "And yes, I actually can use some help."

A few minutes later Walter ran past the guard and sprayed some paint over his shirt.

"Hey, you come back here!" The furious guard chased after Walter. Kenwyn looked around the corner. Pulling out her lock pick she quickly opened the door and looked in. It was a regular locker room. She made a quick search of the lockers and gym bags. Other than a few tear inducing stinky socks, nothing looked out of the ordinary. Suddenly, she heard the man announce that it was half-time. She had to get out. But as she was about to go to the door, she heard footsteps running. She looked quickly for a place to hide. The guard had been unable to catch Walter. When he heard the broadcast that it was half time he quickly went back to his post. He saw that the door was opened. He threw it open.

"Who's there?" He demanded. Looking around he saw nothing. He started opening locker doors one by one. Kenwyn had squeezed herself into the second to last one. She held her breath as she heard the locker banging open then shut. She wondered if she should knock him out or if she should play dumb when she was caught. Just as she saw his shadow loom over her door, the soccer team rushed in.

"Benny, what's wrong?" The coach roared.

"Nothing, nothing sir. Just checking things out." The guard spluttered.

"Get back to your post! I have to address these sorry sons of jackals here." He glowered at the players. "You ladies played like a bunch of namby pamby babies. In fact babies could have played better than you!" The coach continued to bellow and berate his players. Kenwyn realized in a panic that she was trapped.

0o0

"Wow, that was an intense game!" The broadcaster announced excitedly.

"East Side High needs to really rally the troops if they are to score any goals against the powerhouse that is Federico." The other one agreed.

"Now before we get to our entertainment. I have a special message for a special someone." The first one said. Six tensed. This was it.

"This is for Rowena Holloway from Seth. WILL you marry me?"

Six froze. What did he say? Then a woman a few rows down started screaming. A camera zoomed in on the ecstatic lady and very confused boyfriend. They appeared on the large screen. The man looked like he was in shock and the woman was hugging him tightly.

"Huh, what are the odds?" Rex appeared next to Six. Both Six's eyebrows were raised in surprised. When Rex spoke Six looked at him and his brows furrowed.

"Hey, I gave them your message. I can't help it if they can't read your handwriting." Rex defended himself. Six looked like he was going to say something but Rex cut him off, "She's coming!"

Both Rex and Six tried to look natural.

Rebecca had a dreamy look in her eyes. "Oh that was so romantic. I always wanted to have a big proposal like that. She's so lucky."

Six looked like he was about to have an aneurysm. He needed to smack someone badly and since Rex was there…

"Hey, oww, what was that for?" Rex rubbed head.

Six just growled.

Rex was saved from further violence when Noah ran up to them.

"Hey, guys? Kenwyn went to check out the other team's locker and hasn't come back." He said worriedly.

"I'm sure she's fine." Rex said unconcerned.

Walter joined them. "Kenwyn not back yet?"

Rex looked at him startled. "What are you doing here?"

Walter shrugged. "Just hanging out. I distracted the guard for Kenwyn but then I lost him by the hot dog stand. I hope he didn't go back to find Kenwyn snooping around."

The group all looked at each other alarmed.

0o0

After the coach lambasted the group he left them to go find the playbook.

"I think it's time to juice up." One of the player smirked.

"Yeah, won't those losers at Franklin High be surprised when we wipe the floors with them." Another agreed.

"Come on let's make Coach proud." He went to the back and pulled out a cooler. He popped open the top and pulled out several vials.

Kenwyn could see everything through the slits in the locker.

"Down the hatch." Each player grabbed a vial and drank it wiping their mouths.

Their eyes momentarily flashed white then their eyes returned to normal.

"Okay you bunch of sissies, let's go over this play one more time." Coach had returned with the book.

"Don't worry Coach we go this." The player with brown hair said.

"Wokowski! Don't tell me what I can or can not do!" The Coach's face turned bright red. "It's time you ladies take this seriously or go home!"

"Oh, we take this very seriously." The blond player smiled. All their eyes began to glow.

"W..w…what's the meaning of this?" The Coach's bluster started to fade as fear gripped him.

"I'd say Coach that we got this." All the players surrounded the Coach.

0o0

East Side High's players reentered the field.

"It doesn't look like they discovered Kenwyn. Wait, where's the coach?" Noah looked out over the field.

"I don't like this." Six said. "Rex, see if you can locate Kenwyn. Holiday, Noah, we need to get down to the field."

"What should I do?" Walter asked.

"You can come with me." Rex grabbed his arm. "Come on."

The group split up.

Six, Holiday and Noah ran down the stadium stairs. Annie saw them.

"Hey, what's going on?" She got up and the chairs behind her collapsed. The people sitting in them groaned as they tried to get up. Annie followed the small group onto the field.

Six found Federico. "Be careful. There's something different about the other team."

Federico looked over. "You mean besides their glowing eyes?" He asked innocently.

Startled Six followed his gaze. Sure enough each player's eyes had a faint white glow.

"Six, we have to stop the game." Holiday said.

The referee blew his whistle.

"Too late." Federico started out to the field.

"Federico!" Noah called out alarmed.

"A game's a game." Federico shrugged as he took his position.

"What? What's going on?" Annie looked from person to person confused.

East Side High was brutal. In a span of twenty minutes almost all of Franklin's players were injured somehow. East Side accumulated several yellow cards but since it wasn't just one player the referee couldn't throw anyone out of the game. The coach of Franklin who was now on crutches was beside himself with rage.

"What the dang blasted mother shucking crockery is this?" He shouted as another one of his players was sidelined with an injury.

"Uh-oh, coach is making up bad words. This isn't good." Noah muttered.

Federico at this point was the only one not injured.

The referee went to talk to the coach.

The coach limped over to Noah.

"Nixon, you have to get into the game otherwise we forfeit!"

"What? I don't know anything about soccer!" Noah protested.

"It's easy. No hands and pass the ball to Federico. That's all you need to know." Coach pushed him in.

"I'm not even dressed!" Noah yelled as he stumbled onto the field.

Rex, Walter, and Kenwyn ran in. The coach looked up. "All of you are in too." He used his crutch to push them in.

"Wait, I don't even go to this school!" Walter said as they all staggered onto the field.

"Oooo-ooo, can I play too." Annie raised her hand like she was in school.

"Sure why not? What do I have to lose?" The coach groaned.

Annie squealed in delight and swung around so fast that her purse flew and hit the coach who was knocked off his feet.

"Annie, be the goalie. Don't let the ball get past you!" Federico called.

"Got it!" Annie hunched over getting ready to tackle any ball coming her way.

"New kid and Kenywn you are the side midfielder. Rex you are on offensive. Noah you and I are on defense."

"Name's Walter." Walter grumbled as he took his position.

The Coach from East Side High walked unsteadily over.

"Something's happened to my athletes. They're not themselves. They had glowing eyes and locked me in the broom closet. That girl let me out." He told Six frantically.

"Six, shouldn't you stop this?" Holiday looked at Six.

"This may be the best way to contain them until we can figure out what to do." Six stated. He pulled out his comlink.

Holiday watched as Federico dodged and weaved his way past all the players. Rex managed to block several of the players from getting to Federico. Even Noah and Kenywn was able to steal the ball. The more Federico was able to avoid getting hurt by the other team the more frustrated they got. The other team may be stronger and faster but they were not better. In fact, they started getting larger.

Walter looked in horror as the two players in front of his began growing and sprouting extra arms. "Oh man, I can't believe I'm going to die playing soccer. I don't even like soccer." He shut his eyes as the two players lunged at him. When nothing happened he opened them to see Rex with his smack hands holding them back. Another player appeared and tackled Rex. At this point all the players had started going EVO. They started attacking Rex. Everyone was ignoring the referee's whistle. Rex made his punk busters and kicked several EVOs away. Then using smack hands he batted another away but there were too many of them.

"We have to help him." Kenwyn cried.

"What can we do?" Annie asked running to meet them. While she was running she tripped and fell on her hands and knees. An EVO who wasn't looking then fell over her. When he fell he knocked over another EVO who then dragged down another.

Noah and Walter helped her up. "Oopps, my bad." Annie said sheepishly.

"That's perfect!" Noah pushed Annie straight through the middle of the EVOs. As Annie passed sinkholes appeared and the EVOs dropped down into them. Federico kicked a soccer ball that bounced off several EVOs' heads. Kenwyn and Walter each grabbed either side of the goal net. They dragged it across the field and netted two EVOs. Rex slammed two EVO's head together. He looked around.

All the EVOs were incapacitated. Rex rescinded his builds.

"Well, that was fun. Let's never do that again." Walter said sarcastically.

Providence arrived to clean up the mess. Both teams were disqualified… again. Six watched as the EVO players were loaded onto Providence trucks to be transported back to base so that the drug can work their way through their system. Calan was dealing with their incensed parents although Six thought that it was strange that the parents were not angry at the children for taking the drug in the first place.

The spectators were being dispersed from the stadium. He saw the poor schlub who had the incorrect proposal pinned to him. He was trying to explain to a very furious young lady. Six shook his head. His cell phone rang. It was Beverly again.

" Now's not a good time." He said.

"What happen this time? It's over the news but Who's Seth and Rowena?" Beverly sounded annoyed.

"It's too long to explain. Let's just say it's not done yet." Six said.

"Oh come on! How hard can it be?" Beverly complained.

"Apparently, more difficult than you think." Six said dryly.

"Ugh, fine let me think of something else. But you better not mess it up this time!" Beverly hung up.

Six closed his phone and shoved it in his pocket.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you to KakaAnko, memmek10K, X, and others who are leaving comments. It's very encouraging.**

**This is a little late because I had a family thing this weekend and didn't have much time to work on it.**

**I do not own the show.**

**Episode 13**

Circe and Caesar sat in his lab both feeling miserable. They watched as the centrifuge spun the test samples.

"So I guess you heard?" Circe finally spoke. The silence was maddening.

"That you broke up with Rex?" Caesar asked back.

"Well, taking a break." Circe amended.

"Which is universal code for breaking up." Caesar replied.

"I guess," She conceded. "Aren't you going to say something about it?"

Caesar shrugged, "What can I say? I figure it's as hard for you as it is for Rex and nothing I say will make much of a difference especially since right now I'm in the midst of my own personal life crisis."

"What crisis?" Circe asked surprised.

"I've lost Beverly." He sighed.

"Lost her? When did you find her?" Circe could help it.

"Yes, very amusing. I guess I deserve that. I waited too long and she's moved on." Caesar retorted.

"Sorry, moved where?" Circe was confused.

"She has a boyfriend." Caesar said sadly.

"What? She never told me." Circe gaped at him.

"Well, I overheard her making plans with Chad." He said bitterly.

"Wait, Chad? But you didn't talk to her? You were just eavesdropping?" Circe tried to understand.

"Well...," He said sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"Look you need to sit down and talk to her. I think you'll be surprised." Circe advised.

"Really?" Caesar looked at her.

"Really." Circe said firmly.

"Well, I'm going to call her right now." Caesar got up and walked purposefully towards his office.

"Wait," Circe said alarmed. "What about the experiment?"

"Just flip the switch several times if the centrifuge stops. Oh and if it explodes don't touch anything." Caesar said as he walked to the door.

"Explode?" Circe looked wide-eyed at the machine as Caesar nonchalantly walked out.

"That man needs help." She muttered moving her seat a little further away from the equipment.

0o0

Beverly had just hung up on Six. She quickly went to her computer and looked up some proposal ideas. This one looked promising... Sky writing... No wait, air currents are unpredictable. How about a mariachi band? No, too cheesy. Hold the phone, what's this? Yes, it was perfect. Even Six couldn't mess this up. She was still looking up details when her phone rang.

"Hello?" She picked up distracted.

"Hi, it's Chad." Said the familiar voice.

"Oh hi." She was reading something on the webpage.

"So I was wondering about the prom." Chad began.

"What about it?" She squinted at the page to read the fine print.

"So you want to go with me?" Chad prompted.

"Oh uh, sure." Beverly wasn't really paying attention.

"Really? That's great! Pick you up at 6?" Chad said enthusiastically.

"Huh? Sure." Beverly clicked on a link.

"This'll be great." Chad said gleefully. "You're going to have a great time. See you Friday at 6."

"Sure. Six." She said still distracted. When she heard a click, she realized what she did. "Wait, what? Oh no." She was about to call Chad back when her phone rang again. It was Caesar. "Hello Caesar, I can't talk right now. I have to call Chad about the prom." There was a split second of silence.

"Prom? He asked you to the prom?" Caesar sounded odd.

"Yes but..." Beverly tried to explain.

"And you're going with him?"

"Ah yes but..." Beverly tried again to explain.

"That's good." Caesar's voice went up an octave.

"Well, no you see,… what do you mean that's good?"

"It's good that you found someone who likes you." Caesar sounded unusually happy.

"It is?" She asked quietly.

"Yes, I'm glad you get to go to the prom and get to experience something normal."

"Oh okay, you don't mind?" Beverly asked uncertainly.

"Why would I mind? It's not like we're together." Caesar gave a funny laugh.

"Right, we're not." Beverly said softly. Then in a little louder voice, "Why'd you call?"

"Doesn't matter. Have a good evening." Caesar said in a chipper tone.

"Okay, bye," Beverly said hesitantly.

"Bye" Caesar choked out.

Beverly hung up confused. She looked at the necklace on her table. The gift didn't match his words. Somehow the whole conversation left her feeling hollow. However, it did save her from an embarrassing call to Chad.

After Caesar hung up, he banged his head on the edge of the table… several times.

Circe ran in. "Hey Caesar, should the machine be smoking?"

"Probably not, but what does it matter?" Caesar asked with his forehead still on the table's edge.

"Well, I for one don't really want to die right now. We'll at least not in a fiery explosion. I was hoping to go more along the lines of old age or boredom." She joked weakly. When Caesar didn't respond she asked worriedly, "What's wrong?"

"She's going to the prom with him." Caesar said despairingly.

"Who?" Circe asked mystified.

"Chad." Caesar groaned.

"Chad?" Circe was astonished.

"Her new boyfriend."

"Are you sure?" Circe furrowed her brow.

"She told me herself." He began hitting his head on the table again.

"Hey, stop that. Pull yourself together. First I need you to stop the machine from exploding. Then I'll call Beverly and talk to her myself."

"Don't bother. It's over." He said sadly.

"Look Caesar, " Circe was eyeing the smoking machine nervously while addressing the lovelorn scientist, " You are one of the brightest, most ingenious person I have ever met." Under her breath she muttered, "Also the nuttiest." Then in her normal voice she continued, "I'm sure with your high intellect you can figure this out."

Caesar lifted his head, "I am aren't I."

"Yes," Then under her breath she added, "Especially the nutty part."

"I can solve this. Maybe an equation won't help here but there are other things in my arsenal that I can use." He said gaining confidence.

"Sure, why not?" Circe was starting to panic. She was sure she saw some flames. "Now how about coming and disarming this machine before we all die."

"I don't have time for that; I need to go look for my molecular destabilizer." Caesar walked to his workshop.

"Wait!" When Caesar didn't bother to stop, Circe frantically looked for something to help her. She spotted the fire extinguisher. Grabbing it and pulling out the pin, she hosed down the centrifuge which now had flames and black smoke shooting from it. When the fire was put out, she wiped her brow in relief. She dropped the canister on the floor. She was ready to find the mad scientist and blast him with her sonic scream when word came that _victims_ of the N-juice were coming in. She gritted her teeth. Violence will have to wait.

0o0

Six sat across from Rebecca. He had promised to have dinner with her but under the circumstances his heart wasn't in it. His hand itched to just hand the stupid ring to her and get it over with but the logical part of the brain told him that he had to it in the right place. Somehow sitting in Mr. Chow's Buffet Palace didn't seem like the right place.

"So… interesting day." Rebecca was trying to coax some conversation out of the taciturn man.

Six cleared his throat. "Yes, it was."

"Did we learn anything?" Rebecca asked.

"Not really." Six stabbed at his plate.

Rebecca was about to give up and just eat when he suddenly grabbed her hand.

"I'm sorry if I seem distracted the last few days. There's something…" Before he could get out anything else, his phone rang. Six mentally cursed as he pulled the phone from his pocket. "Sorry, I have to take this." He quickly got up and went to the back. "What?" He snapped.

"I have the perfect foolproof proposal." Beverly said. "It's all set up. Tomorrow…"

"It's tomorrow?" Six couldn't believe she worked so fast.

"Yes, pay attention. It'll be very romantic. There's a recreation of Venice Italy's gondola rides at this casino in Vegas. You take her on a ride, as you come through the second underpass there will be a sign spelled out in red roses _Rebecca, will you marry me_!" Beverly said.

"How am I supposed to get her to Vegas?" Six pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Figure it out! I can't do everything for you. I've already ignored four calls from Circe to do this. I'm emailing you the details." Beverly hung up.

Six put his phone away. He pulled his tie higher and walked back to the table.

"Anything wrong?" Rebecca asked when he sat down stiffly.

"No," He pushed his shades up higher. "As I was saying I'm sorry for being distracted. To make it up I was hoping you would come with me somewhere tomorrow."

Rebecca's brows went up. "Where?"

"It's a surprise." He said blandly.

Rebecca stared at the man in front of her. "Okay, where's Six and what have you done with him?"

Six internally winced. "It's me, I assure you."

Rebecca still had an incredulous look but acquiesced. "Okay, I'm free tomorrow."

They finished their dinner in silence with Rebecca shooting him glances now and again.

0o0

Kenwyn, Walter, Noah, and Rex sat in Noah's room trying to run through the details of the day to see if there was anything they could figure out from today's events.

Kenwyn paced as Noah made his charts and graphs.

"Is that really necessary?" Rex asked as Noah took another marker out.

"Organization is the key to unlocking mysteries." Noah said. "At least that's what is says on my poster."

Kenwyn ignored them both, "So what do we know? First, Fell created a drug using nanites to reactivate deactivated nanites. Circe is the only human we know of who took that drug."

"Possibly one other." Rex said under his breath thinking of Dos.

"What?" Kenwyn asked startled.

"Nothing." Rex said louder. "What else do we know?"

"Second, he used Professor Bowman's research to modify his drug to allow a person to activate their own nanites using only chemicals."

"Check." Noah answered.

"Third, there are two types out there, one that produces EVOs and one that was just suppose to enhance strength but somehow today those soccer players went EVO when they got frustrated."

"Check." Noah looked at his table.

"So what's the point?" Kenwyn ran her hand through her hair. "This doesn't make sense. Since we've been intercepting so many of his shipments he can't possibly be making a profit. Why is he still distributing it?"

Rex shrugged. "Got me."

Noah's mother knocked on the door. "Uh, Noah, two of your friends are here to see you." She said a little uncertainly.

"Really? Who mom?" Noah frowned.

"Hey, Noah, just dropped by to say hi." It was Tuck.

"Oh, they're part of my study group. Yeah, lots of studying to do." Noah said thinking quickly.

"Oh, okay. Did you get anymore acceptance letters?" Noah's mother asked as Tuck and Cricket squeezed into the room.

"Yeah mom, I got into MIT, Penn State, and Northwestern." Noah replied.

"That's great! Which are you planning to go to?" His mom was excited.

"Um, mom, now might not be the best time to talk about it." Noah answered nervously.

Noah's mother sighed. "Alright but we need to talk about it soon."

"Sure." Noah agreed while looking at Rex.

Rex's mouth was hanging slightly opened. When Noah's mom walked out, Rex looked at Noah. "You didn't tell me about those schools."

"Yeah, about that. I've been thinking about going out of state." Noah admitted guiltily.

"Oh." It was all Rex could think of to say. He never thought of a time that his best friend might not be around. It was great that Noah could be going to a top school but he wasn't sure how he felt about him leaving.

"What's up?" Kenwyn addressed Tuck and Cricket.

"Well, we tried to apprehend the dealer as per Agent Six's instruction but he got away." Tuck sounded like he took it personally.

"When we got back to Providence they gave us the tracker and we drove around town trying to see how prevalent the drug is…" Cricket added.

"You don't look happy. Is it bad?" Kenwyn asked.

"It's everywhere!" Tuck gnashed his teeth. "The stupid tracker can't pinpoint it but every street we drove down the thing was reading positive!"

"That bad?" Noah was shocked.

"But here's the weird thing. When we passed the town limits it started reading negative." Cricket said shaking her head. "It's like it's all contained here."

Kenwyn sighed. "If only we can sniff it out."

Rex bolted up. "Sniff?" He smacked himself on the forehead. "Why didn't I think of this before?"

"What are you talking about?" Noah asked.

"Sniff? Remember Valentine's Day?" Rex asked enthusiastically.

"How can I forget? I still have the scars from the fight." Noah groaned.

"No remember Federico? And how he found Claire?" Rex prompted.

Noah's face lit up. "Hey yeah, he has a heightened sense of smell. Maybe he can track down the scent!"

"Are you kidding?" Tuck looked from Noah to Rex. "So we use him like a dog?"

"Well, I was going to use the term olfactory hunter, but essentially yeah a dog." Rex admitted.

"What do we have to lose?" Kenwyn said. "Let's get Federico."

The group left Noah's room and went to the front door. Mrs. Nixon looked up from the book she was reading on the couch. "Where are you going?"

"We're going to get Federico's nose to track down illegal substances." Noah replied.

There was a pause. "Ok, don't stay out too late." Mrs. Nixon went back to her book.

The group quickly left before she asked anymore questions.

"I swear that boy has the strangest imagination." She muttered to herself.

0o0

They arrived at Federico's house. In order not to worry his host family only Noah went in to get him. They came out within a few minutes.

"What do you need me to do?" He inquired politely.

Tuck held out an empty vial under Federico's nose. Federico sniffed it delicately.

"Hmmm, it's peculiar but several weeks ago I started smelling this scent all over the place. What is it?" Federico asked.

"It's the drug we are trying to locate. Do you think you can locate where it's strongest?" Kenwyn asked excitedly.

Federico shrugged. "I can try but I have gotten use to the scent, it is around so much." He took the vial and sniffed it again. He closed his eyes and began to inhale deeply first in one direction then in another.

Tuck and Cricket was looking at him incredulously. They were having a hard time believing that his nose could possibly be that…

"This way." Federico began slowly walking across the street. He wasn't looking where he was going. Rex had to jump in front of several cars to stop them from running Federico down.

Then without warning Federico broke off into a sprint. Everyone ran to catch up with him.

"Not again." Noah moaned remembering Valentine's Day.

Before long they stood in front of the school. There was yellow police tape surrounding the front from the incident on Friday.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting this." Kenwyn blinked.

"Wait, I don't get it. We come here everyday. How come you haven't said anything before?" Noah looked at Federico.

He shrugged. "Like I said I smell this everywhere. But you asked me where it's strongest. This is where it's strongest from my house."

"It makes sense. Rex was gassed here." Kenwyn said.

"What? When did that happen? And what's with the police tape?" Noah was confused.

Rex quickly explained what happened.

"Then why hasn't Providence storm the place, yet?" Noah demanded.

"It's complicated. The local authorities don't know it's an EVO attack and we can't barge in without letting the principal know we are on to him." Cricket explained.

"So what do we do now? We can't try sneaking into the school again." Rex looked at the police tape.

"I say we pay a visit to Principal Rothberger's house and see if we can't find anything there." Kenwyn proposed.

"Good idea." Tuck said.

"I'll go." Rex volunteered. "Kenwyn and Noah have school tomorrow."

"He knows what you look like. I think Cricket or I should do it." Tuck said.

"We can't, remember? Tomorrow we're looking for that dealer." Cricket reminded him.

Tuck pound his fist into his hand, "That's right, I forgot."

"Why don't you radio Providence and see if someone else can go?" Federico suggested reasonably.

The others looked at each other. Why didn't they think of that?

"Yeah, that's what I was going to suggest." Rex said awkwardly. He pulled his comlink and called base. He was surprised when Circe answered.

"Circe? Why are you on?" Rex asked perplexed.

"Six assigned me to radio duty after _your_ brother almost blew up the lab." Circe said with a tinge of annoyance in her voice.

"Oh," Rex wondered if she was blaming him. "I was wondering if there's anyone free who can go on a mission."

"What kind?" Circe asked. Rex told her about sneaking into the principal's house.

"I can do that." Circe declared.

"You? I though you were on radio duty." Rex said.

"I'll get Bobo to cover for me." Circe stated.

"What's in it for me?" Bobo's voice came in the background.

"I won't shave you, hang you from the flagpole, and use you for target practice." Circe growled.

"Hmm, you drive a hard bargain but I'm going to pass." Bobo said sarcastically. There was the sound of things breaking in the background. "Okay, okay. I'll do it." Rex could hear Bobo conceding.

"Give me the address." Circe came back on the comlink.

0o0

Circe stood in front of the house in her stealth suit. She had to get off base and do something. The inactivity was driving her crazy. Babysitting Caesar was not helping her mood after _breaking_ _up_ with Rex. She had tried calling Beverly but she wasn't answering her phone.

Making her way she examined the house. It looked normal enough. There didn't seem to be any obvious security systems. She checked the windows. No there was no alarm on them. Careful to avoid any lights that would blow her cover she crept to the back looking for a way in.

The yard was a tangle of weeds and overgrown plants. It didn't look like anyone had tended it in months. It seemed odd since from what they had told her about Rothberger he was totally anal retentive. She noticed that the basement window was slightly ajar. She lightly pulled it. To her surprise it easily opened all the way. It was just large enough for her to slip in. She wiggled her way through the narrow opening and lightly landed on her feet making almost no noise. Her night vision goggles helped her to see around her. She inhaled sharply. It was a lab down there. Test tubes, beakers, and other scientific equipment were everywhere. Boxes were piled down there as well. She skulked around till she heard a muffled sound coming from behind a door. She carefully moved to get a closer look. Yes, she definitely heard something. It sounded like weak cries for help. Holding her breath she unlocked the door and slowly opened it. Immediately, she turned on the light and rushed into the room. Sitting in a hard wooden chair in the middle of the room bound and gagged was Principal Rothberger. She quickly pulled the cloth off his mouth and began untying him.

"What happened?" She asked him.

"W..who's there?" The frightened man asked.

Circe forgot about the suit. She turned it off and pulled off her goggles.

"I'm from Providence." She said.

"Oh, thank goodness you came. I've been here for weeks." He weakly rasped.

"Weeks?" Circe frowned. That can't be right.

"Yes, weeks…" Rothberger's voice now came from behind her. She spun around but was hit by an energy beam. Before she lost consciousness she saw another Rothberger holding a gun but his eyes glowed red. "Don't worry sweetheart, it'll be over soon." The last thing Circe heard was a maniacal cackle.


	14. Chapter 14

**Special thanks to KaKaAnko for regularly reviewing. Thanks also to X. I'm glad you are enjoying the story. So if you like or dislike this please let me know. It's not quite turning out like I wanted. **

**I do not own the characters.**

**Episode 14**

Kenwyn and Noah arrived at school the next day. All the kids were milling around outside the front entrance, yellow caution tape still surrounding the school.

"What's going on?" Noah asked innocently.

Tiffany the biggest gossip was eager to tell him the news, "Didn't you hear? The school was vandalized over the weekend. They won't let us in because of the on-going investigation."

Kenwyn and Noah looked at each other. A few minutes later Annie and Claire joined them.

"What happened?" Claire asked.

"All I know is it couldn't have been me. I just got here." Annie said firmly.

Before either Noah or Kenwyn could answer, Principal Rothberger stepped out the front of the school. He had a bullhorn.

"The school board and I have decided that because of extenuating circumstances, school will be cancelled for the rest of the year. Since most of your grades are immutable anyway, finals will also be cancelled."

The students present let out a cheer. Then someone shouted, "What about the prom?"

"And graduation?" Another added.

Rothberger turned his bullhorn on again. "Since the school is in no shape to hold the dance here, a hotel has graciously offered us one of its halls but the prom will be moved to Wednesday. Graduation will be held at the local university at the usual time as planned. "

The seniors gasped. One girl yelled. "I have to go get my dress!" Many of the seniors began leaving.

Rothberger turned his bullhorn on again, "Those of you who need to talk to teachers or counselors, they have set up tables on the track field. Report cards will be mailed. That is all." He turned around and went back inside.

Chaos reigned as students started heading en masse to the field.

Beverly who had been standing off to the side frowned. Now that the school was closed off how was she supposed to investigate anything?

"Hi, Bev! Isn't it great? Summer came early." Chad said breathlessly as he trotted over to her.

"Oh, Chad, I didn't see you. Yeah, I guess that's good." Beverly said hesitantly.

"Oh, yeah, that's right you transferred in. What's going to happen to your grades? Can you even graduate?" Chad looked concerned.

"I guess I better go talk to those counselors." She sighed turning to follow the crowd.

"Hey, wait. I know what's going to happen. There's going to be a huge line while everyone sorts through their mess. You won't even get near the tables for hours. Why don't we let the eager beavers go first and we'll come back later."

"I guess that makes sense." Beverly agreed slowly.

"Let's go to the Burger Shack." Chad said holding her hand.

"Uh sure." Beverly was a little uncomfortable but followed anyway.

0o0

Circe slowly started to wake. Her vision gradually became clearer. When she was fully conscious, she noticed that she was sitting on the floor propped up against the wall. Lifting up her head she realized that her mouth was muzzled.

"Mmmph!" She mumbled indignantly. She tried to remove it when she noticed her arms were restrained behind her back by rope. "Mmmph!" She banged the back of her head against the wall and looked up in annoyance.

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly." Someone said next to her. Circe looked over and saw Rothberger without his gag but still tied to the chair.

"Mmmph mmph mmph mmph mmph mmph?" Circe asked.

Apparently Rothberger understood muzzled speech because he answered despondently, "Well, about a several weeks ago, or it could have been months I've lost track of time, my doorbell rang. I went to answer it and there I was standing there! Then I blacked out. When I come to, I'm tied here in my basement. They feed me and let me go to the bathroom only once a day. It's been a nightmare. I don't know what they've been doing to my beautiful school!"

"Mmmph." Circe said. She knew she had to figure out a way to get out of here and warn Rex that the current principal is a fake. She guessed Rothberger's usefulness will soon be at an end. It won't be long before he'd be eliminated along with her. She chillingly remembered the other Rothberger's parting words. _It'll be over soon._ She gave the room a once over. Her heart sank when she realized there was no way out.

0o0

Six took several deep breaths before he left his room. If all went well, tonight he'd be an engaged man. The thought thrilled and terrified him like nothing else. But in the meantime he had to act normal. So he walked out with his usual stoic expression… at least until Rex ran head on into him.

"Oooph, oh sorry Six, I didn't see you. Have you seen Caesar?" Rex asked helping the obviously annoyed agent up.

"Rex," Six's calm demeanor belayed his deep aggravation at the young EVO. "Watch where you are going. And no, I haven't seen your brother." He brushed himself off.

"How about Circe? I need to talk to her." Rex asked risking the agent's wrath.

"No, I haven't seen her either and I have to talk to her about trading assignments with unreliable monkeys."

"Hey, I'm a chimpanzee … a _pan troglodytes_." Bobo informed Six huffily.

"Circe hasn't returned yet? She was just going to check out Principal Rothberger's house." Rex asked worriedly. "Maybe I should go and see if she's okay."

"Fine, take the monkey with you." Six was glad to have both out of his hair for the day so he could get some work done.

"It's chimpanzee, green bean." Bobo called out.

Six didn't answer.

"Come on Principal Bobo let's pay a courtesy visit to Principal Rothberger." Rex smirked.

"With pleasure." Bobo smirked back.

Rex formed his rex ride and Bobo hopped on the back. They zoomed off.

Just before they reached the hanger they spotted Caesar.

Rex pulled over and rescinded his build. Bobo hopped off. "Rex, I'm gonna use the little chimp's room before we go."

"Wash your hands!" Rex called after his sidekick. Then he turned to Caesar, "Hey bro, where have you been?"

"I'm working on something for Beverly." Caesar said. "Can you give me a lift to town?"

"Sure, I guess. Don't you want to bring one of your own contraptions?" Rex asked.

"Uhh, no most are in the testing stage right now." Caesar hedged.

Rex knew that was code for _it might blow up_. "Get on." He sighed as he made his rex ride again. They rode out of the hanger.

There was a sound of flushing and Bobo stepped out of the men's room. He looked around. Rex was gone. "Oh come on, I rinsed my hands… a little."

Rex was a little concerned that Circe hadn't returned or reported back yet. He drove a little faster than normal. They arrived fairly quickly. Rex dropped Caesar off a block away from the school.

"How are you even going to find her?" Rex asked.

"Oh, when we were working on the new engine for the stealth cycle I might have accidently sprayed her with a mild radioactive dye." Caesar admitted. "She should still have traces of residue on her."

"What! How… actually, I won't even ask how that happened. " Rex looked at him. "Geez, if Holiday finds out she's gonna kill you."

"Well, she won't, will she." Caesar answered.

Rex shook his head. Lord, help Beverly if Caesar actually succeeded in getting her to go out with him.

"OK bro, don't do anything, oh I don't know, crazier than usual." Rex warned him.

Caesar waved without looking back as he pointed his Geiger counter in different directions trying to get a radioactive signal. After walking a few blocks he saw her profile sitting at a local hang out. He smiled and approached the eatery but then stopped.

Chad had appeared with a tray of drinks and food. He said something to her. It must have been funny because she was laughing and smiling. Caesar paused. His resolve faded. She looked so happy. He couldn't go and disrupt them. The least he could do was to let her be happy. He sadly walked away. Caesar decided to see what Rex was up to. Besides, Rex was his ride back to base.

Rex carefully surveyed the house. Everything looked normal but the house looked disheveled. It didn't seem to match the meticulous man that was Rothberger. He decided to go the direct route. He marched up to the door and rang the doorbell. No surprise; there was no answer. Just to be sure, he rang it several more times in rapid succession. Noah would have a heart attack. Rex looked around. When he was sure no one was paying any attention he jimmied the lock. The door gave way easily. Rex cautiously stepped inside. The house was a mess. Rex couldn't believe that Rothberger or anyone else could live this way. "And Six says my room is a pig sty." He muttered.

He shoved over empty pizza boxes and empty soda cans with his foot to make his way through the hallway to the living room. The living room was just as messy with empty food cartons strewn around. Rex held his nose and he walked through what must have been week old garbage. Finally, he made it into the kitchen. Surprisingly, the kitchen was pristine. On a whim he opened the refrigerator. He sucked in his breath. The fridge was filled with vials. "Holy… I hit the mother lode." Rex gasped. He pressed his comlink. "Six? Six? Come in?" Static answered him. Rex frowned. This can't be right. Their comlinks almost never failed unless they were broken or… something was blocking their signal. Something moved in Rex's peripheral vision. He stiffened for a second… then he spun around forming his smack hands just as a katana came down. Rex pushed the sword away and took a good look at the assailant. It was a black pawn.

0o0

Circe found that if she twisted her arm in a certain way it loosened the ropes around her wrists. Unfortunately, it was also quite painful. Circe was reminded of the story of some guy who cut his own leg off so he could escape being trapped. She hoped she wouldn't have to go to that extreme. She wiggled several times, each time getting use to the pain. At last she was able to maneuver her hand over the small blade she always concealed in her belt. Circe knew that if her belt was still on they had not discovered it. Patiently she nudged the blade into her hand. When the knife was in her hand, she used it to cut her ropes. The blade was small and the roped thick so the process was slow. When the rope was almost cut through, there was a loud bang from upstairs. The noise startled her. She almost dropped her knife. There was more banging and then sounds of furniture breaking as well as walls being demolished.

"What the bloody blue blazes are they doing up there?" Rothberger demanded.

Circe didn't know and right now was concerned about sawing through the stubborn rope. The next bang brought plaster from the ceiling. Circe broke through. She grabbed the muzzle and yanked it off. She swiftly cut Rothberger's ropes. She made him wait while she ran upstairs to see what was going on. When she swung open the door a pawn sailed past her. She looked in surprise at Rex who was on his back holding off a black pawn who was trying to impale him on its katana.

"Rex? What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Umm, rescuing you?" Rex grunted as the blade was inches from his face.

Circe rolled her eyes. She blasted the black pawn off Rex.

"I could have taken him." Rex said.

"Sure you could. My hero." She smirked. But she was glad to see Rex. Footsteps behind Circe put Rex into a fighting stance.

"Relax, it's just Rothberger… the real Rothberger." Circe looked to see Rex's confused expression.

"My house, my beautiful house." Rothberger moaned.

"Come on, sir. It's not safe."Circe grabbed his arm.

Rothberger stared at Rex. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

Rex cleared his throat and deepened his voice. "I don't think we've met." He turned on his heels and left. Circe shook her head and escorted a distraught Rothberger through his razed house.

When they reached outside they were confronted by a group of black pawns, all with rifles aimed at them.

"You are not authorized to be here. You will be terminated." One said in a mechanical voice.

"He's talking to you." Circe said as she supported Rothberger who had slumped in fear and exhaustion.

"Well you're not authorized either." Rex protested.

"But I was here already in the basement." Circe told him. "You're new."

"Oh so I'm the only one who's going to be terminated?" Rex scoffed.

The black pawns head went back and forth between the two squabbling agents. The argument seemed to confuse them.

"Oh yeah?" Rex yelled.

"Yeah!" Circe replied.

"Well, then…" Rex formed his smack hands and with one swipe knocked down all the black pawns

Circe surveyed the damage. "Works everytime."

"By the way, you were a little weak on that last delivery." Rex critiqued.

"Don't start with me." Circe grumbled.

"Rex! Circe!" Rex and Circe turned to see who was calling them. Caesar ran into the yard. He looked at the black pawns littered on the floor.

"Huh, guess you've been busy." Caesar commented.

"Caesar, look in the kitchen. There's hundreds of those vials in the fridge." Rex said to his brother.

"There's also a lab down in the basement." Circe added.

"Interesting. Could this be the place where they are manufacturing…? No it couldn't be. Such a complex and sophisticated drug needs more space and equipment than an average house can hold. This must be a way station." Caesar was talking to himself as he walked up the stairs. Just as he walked to the top of the porch the house exploded. Caesar was thrown back by the force as was Circe, Rex and Rothberger.

"Caesar!" Rex yelled.

Caesar got up with a hand on his head. "I'm okay, mijo." He glared at the house which was now on fire. "I guess whoever was here didn't want us finding out their secrets."

"My house!" Rothberger squeaked before he passed out. Circe who was holding him was almost dragged down to the floor.

"Ooph, for a little guy he sure is heavy." She complained as she gently laid him on the ground.

"Well, now what?" Rex growled. "Every lead we have blows up in our face. In this case, literally."

Circe walked to the house and using her sonic blast put out the fire.

"Did I ever tell you that's really impressive?" Rex asked walking over to her.

Circe looked at him mildly surprised. "No."

"Well, it is."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." They looked at each other awkwardly.

"Hey, if you two are finished come help me look for any clues." Caesar had already entered the smoldering house.

Rex and Circe followed after Caesar. Circe used her sonic blasts to put out any remaining flames.

Caesar entered the kitchen. It was completely obliterated.

"Looks like the blasts originated from here." Caesar observed. Next they tried to go down to the basement but it was sealed off by debris. "Well, they were thorough."

"Guys, look at this." Circe picked up a burnt flyer off the floor.

"It's for the prom, so what?" Rex shrugged.

"Look on the back." Circe said.

Rex turned the paper over. Scrawled across the back it said:

_Final phase at the prom. Investors watching. Deal done._

"What does that mean?" Rex wondered.

"It means we need to keep an eye out at the prom."

"Prom?" Caesar's face went paled. "Beverly's going to the prom."

"Really?" Rex was surprised. "With who?"

"Chad." Caesar and Circe said at the same time.

"I thought you were going to talk to Beverly." Rex looked at Caesar.

"I was, but then I saw her. She was so happy with… with Chad that I couldn't." Caesar stared downcast at the ground.

Circe smacked him over the head.

"Oww, what was that for?" Casear rubbed his head.

"Oh sorry, I meant to do this too." Circe apologized. Then she punched him in the arm.

"Oww, quit it." Caesar glared at her.

"That was for the centrifuge." She sniffed. "The first was for being an idiot."

"Huh?" Caesar looked puzzled as Circe walked away. He looked at Rex.

Rex shrugged. "Don't look at me. I don't get woman."

0o0

Circe, Caesar, and Rex sat in front of Six. They had just submitted their report. Six flipped through the paper.

"Something big is happening here." Six threw the files back on his desk. He leaned back into his chair. "Tuck and Cricket said the dealer on the corner seemed to have vanished into thin air. The school has been closed because of vandalism. The fake Rothberger has disappeared. Bowman is still in a coma. The soccer players have been questioned and released to their parents. Jimmy too. They don't know anything. Apparently, they learned about N-juice through a rumor. The prom is our last and only lead. Kenwyn informed me that it has been moved up to Wednesday. That doesn't give us much time to prepare."

"What do we need to do?" Rex asked.

"The hotel where the prom is being held needs to be checked out and wired without the staff knowing. We also give information out on a need to know basis only. We don't know who to trust. It seems that Fell is always one step ahead of us. There might be a mole."

"A traitor in Providence?" Rex looked startled. "It can't be."

"Don't know yet Rex. But we need to be prepared for all eventualities." Six said. He pushed his intercom, "Ask Captain Calan and Dr. Holiday to come to my office." Six told his secretary. He looked up at the current group. "You're dismissed." Three of them got up to go. "Except you Circe. I want a word with you." Circe gulped and sat back down. Rex gave her a sympathetic look before he and Caesar left.

"Look, if it's about leaving Bobo…" Circe began.

"Actually, it's about you and Rex." Six stood up. He walked around his desk to stand in front of Circe. He casually leaned against the desk. Circe shifted uncomfortably. "Circe, believe it or not you and I are very much alike." At that Circe's head whipped up, a look of shock on her face.

Six continued. "We both grew up on our own, relying only on ourselves, sometimes doing… questionable things to survive. Everyday was a fight and a struggle."

Circe didn't answer. Her eyes dropped to the ground.

"The only difference is that I did find someone early on that cared about me but the damage was done. I was afraid to let anyone in. I still am, because when you let anyone get that close, they can hurt you. And I was tired of being hurt. I used all sorts of excuses to not get close to anyone. I built walls." He paused. Circe still didn't stir.

"Then Rex showed up. He started breaking down those walls. Holiday too. I couldn't stop them and I soon realized I didn't want to. The excuses I used were just that… excuses. The bottom line was that I was afraid. But when I finally let them in, it wasn't as bad as I thought. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Circe swallowed hard, "I think so."

"Give yourself a break. The past is the past. If you live too much in it you'll miss the future." Six finished.

"Agent Six, Captain Calan is here." The secretary's voice echoed in the office.

Circe got up. "Thank you."

Six nodded as he went back to his chair. "And Circe?" Circe turned her head back. "This conversation never happened."

Circe's face slowly broke into a half smile. "What conversation?"

Six smirked as Circe walked out of the office. Calan greeted her with a nod as he walked in.

"So what's the word?" Calan asked Six.

"We've got work to do and I have a hunch." Six answered.

Calan lifted a brow.

0o0

Six checked the time. If she didn't hurry they would be late. He had thought a lot about what he was about to do. After his _conversation_ with Circe he knew it wasn't fair to Rebecca if he was proposing for selfish reasons. He had to make sure that this is what he wanted. It was. Now the question was, is it what she wanted?

Well, he'll find out tonight. He stood in the hanger by his jump jet waiting for Rebecca. He kept adjusting his tie which was the only indication that he was nervous. He was about to call her when the door slid opened. He drew in a sharp breath. She was dressed in a sequined black off the shoulder cocktail dress that hung on her every curve. Her hair hung down in soft curls. The black stilettos and matching purse completed the ensemble.

She smiled as she approached him, "Sorry, to keep you waiting. I'm ready."

Six's brain screamed at him to say something. But his mouth seemed to have forgotten how to form words. He swallowed hard and licked his lips. "You look…" He tried to think of some other word besides nice but failed. "Nice." He finished lamely.

"Thank you." She said as she moved pass him to the side of the jet and waited. It occurred to Six that she was waiting for him to help her up the ladder. He tried to smoothly walk over to do so. He held her hand to help her in. He carefully averted his eyes as she climbed in. He got into the front and closed the hatch.

"So where are we going?" Holiday asked seductively leaning over to him.

It suddenly got hard for him to breath. "It's a surprise."

"Can't you give me a little hint?" Her voice became low and husky.

Six cleared his throat. "You'll see." He quickly took off before she had a chance to say anything else.

Holiday smirked. It wasn't everyday she got the agent rattled. His lips were thinly pressed into a line. His hands gripped the tiller so tight she was sure it would snap soon. She wondered what the problem was and why he was being so cryptic. She looked at the back of his head and sighed. Sometimes she can't figure him out.

Unbeknownst to them several shadows appeared in the dessert landscape below them. The shadows started running then wings sprouted out of their backs and followed after the jet.


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you once again to X, KakaAnko, and Kawaii hitler for reviewing.**

**I do not own. **

**Episode 15**

Six and Holiday landed in an empty stretch of land in the desert at the edge of Las Vegas. Holiday raised an eyebrow at him as he helped her out of the jet. A limo was waiting for them. The chauffeur opened the door for them.

"Really? Vegas?" She looked at him when they were seated in the car.

He cleared his throat. "I wanted something special."

Rebecca smiled and moved closer to him. "It's always special when I'm with you." She put her head on his shoulder. Six wrapped an arm around her and pulled her even closer. The chauffeur drove toward the city. Shadows appeared over the car. The driver looked above him. When he turned his attention back to the road, he gasped. The driver slammed on the brakes. Six and Holiday were thrown forward. Six steadied Holiday. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, what happened?" She asked pushing back her hair.

Six pulled out his katana, "I'm going to find out. Stay here."

He jumped out of the car. Looking around he saw a shadow fly at him. He did a forward roll to avoid the shadow. The shadow landed behind him and charged. Six crossed his blades and blocked its strike. He felt another behind him as well as another two on either side of him. His jaw tightened. He rolled onto his back and using his legs bounced the shadow creature back. It flew into the one behind him. Then he executed a kip-up* so that he could get back on his feet. The other two on either side of him charged and he sidestepped them so that they crashed into each other. He used the flat edges of his blades to smash them on the back of their heads. They fell over unconscious. When he looked up, he saw Holiday aiming a gun at him. Before he could ask, she fired. He heard a thud in the back of him. He turned around to see another shadow creature lifeless on the ground.

"Nice shot." He commented. "Does that come with the dress?"

"No, it's my own accessory." She smirked lowering her gun. "What are those things?"

Six bent over one to take a closer look but before he could touch it, the creature melted into the ground. Six stood up startled. Each fallen creature melted back into the ground.

Rebecca walked to Six. "What on earth?"

"I don't know but I don't like this." Six said. "We should get back to base." He thought about the proposal and mentally cursed but he couldn't risk putting her in danger.

Holiday looked at Six. He was agitated but she couldn't be sure because of the creatures or the ruined surprise or maybe a little of both.

"Come on." Six gently took Rebecca by the elbow and lead her to the car. As Holiday was walking a shadow hand reached out from the ground and grabbed her ankle. She gasped and instinctively tried to jerk her leg away. Six's katana sliced through the creature's arm. The shadow shredded like paper and disappeared. Six and Holiday stood back to back as shadows swirled around them and formed themselves into humanoid creatures with glowing red eyes. They were surrounded.

Six twirled the blades in his hands as he slowly made a circle around them carefully watching them. Holiday with her gun out moved along with Six making sure his back was always covered. The creatures' eyes narrowed and as one moved in to attack.

0o0

Calan walked down the quiet halls of Providence. He was exhausted and was ready to call it a day. He and Six had a long talk about his hunch and how they were going to get into the hotel without making a scene. Then Six had to leave for his _date_. Calan hoped that this time Six would be successful. The failed proposals were really making Six irritable. He yawned and stretched. Just as he reached his room, his comlink crackled to life. "Sir, I have message from a Valentina from Green Fists. She says she has to talk to you."

Calan lightly banged his head on the door frame and groaned. "All right, I'll take it in my room." He grumbled as he walked to his phone on his nightstand.

"How can I help you?" Calan asked businesslike. Calan and Valentina had recently started a relationship but decided to keep it a secret. Providence and Green Fist never got along due to their differences in philosophy on EVOs. Neither Calan nor Valentina wanted to look like they could give the other preferential treatment. It made for an interesting relationship especially when they often clashed on issues.

"Captain Calan, I must inform you that one of our EVO's here on Nanite Island has been illegally removed. If we find out that Providence has procured it without our permission…"

"Woah, woah, woah, now hold your horses. For the last time, Providence will not sneak into ya dang backyard to steal any of ya dang beasts. We go through the proper channels that ya'll created. " Calan's accent started to thicken.

"Well, who else has the ability to by-pass our sensors and the equipment to transport EVOs?" She snapped.

"Well, danged if I know." Calan said annoyed. "What went missing anyway?"

"It's a shadow EVO. It can replicate itself and can be deadly when provoked." Valentina stated. Then in a softer tone, she added, "So you didn't take it?"

"Why would we do a fool thing like that? That thing sounds like it'd be more troublesome than fire ants at a picnic." Calan said tiredly.

"Then who did? And where is it?" Valentina said it more to herself than to Calan.

Calan's comlink crackle again. "Sir, we are getting a mayday from Dr. Holiday and Agent Six."

Calan face palmed. "Valentina? I think we've found your missing EVO."

0o0

Circe left Six's office with a lot to think about. She wished Beverly was around to talk to. She checked the time. It was still early. She could pop by Meechum's for a quick chat. She changed out of her uniform into her street clothes and went to the hanger and borrowed a stealth cycle. After parking near by she walked the rest of the way. When she rang the doorbell Beverly answered.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Beverly asked letting her friend in.

"Just needed to talk." Circe answered as she walked in. "Where is everyone?"

"Sarah had a recital. Whatcha want to talk about?" Beverly closed the door.

Twenty minutes later they were sitting on the couch with a pint of ice cream and a can of whip cream.

"So Caesar thinks I'm seeing Chad? Why didn't he talk to me?" Beverly asked taking a spoonful of ice cream before passing it to Circe who passed her the whip cream.

"Because he's an idiot." Circe said taking a spoonful. Beverly sprayed the whip cream into her mouth. "Now what are you going to do about it?" Circe looked at her friend.

Beverly sighed. "Now that you've told me something's going down at the prom I want to go to check things out. So I'm going to have to keep that date with Chad. But afterwards I'm going to sit Caesar down and…"

"Smack him?" Circe smirked.

"Well, there's that and then tell him that I want to give us a try." Beverly conceded.

"Sounds like a plan." Circe raised her can and Beverly raised her spoonful of ice cream and clinked them together before consuming their respective items.

"So what happened between you and Rex?" Beverly asked after swallowing the ice cream.

"I don't know. I guess I'm scared to… to get close to anyone." Circe admitted.

"Well, we're close." Beverly pointed out.

"That's different." Circe laughed as she took back the ice cream.

"I guess." Beverly shrugged.

"I also have this insane jealousy problem." Circe admitted.

"There's that. But I actually don't blame you." Beverly told her.

"Really?" Circe raised her eyebrow.

"Yeah, he's the hero every girl dreams about." Beverly said. "You have every teen and preteen throwing themselves at him."

"You're not helping." Circe groaned.

Beverly ignored her. "But you know Circe, when I see you with Rex, it's like you two have a connection."

"What do you mean?" She frowned.

"You guys work well together, you have the same sense of humor, and… you keep him in check." Beverly smirked at the last part.

"Well, someone's got to contain his ego." Circe smirked.

Circe and Beverly laughed.

"You know, no one else is going to have what you two have. You should give Rex some credit. He'd never go behind your back. And you need to give yourself a break." Beverly became serious.

"What do you mean?" Circe asked.

"I mean you are an amazing person. Why wouldn't Rex want to be with you?" Beverly said frankly. Circe gaped at her. "So what are you going to do?" Beverly looked pointedly at her.

Circe sobered up. "I really like Rex. He's the nicest most forgiving person I've ever met. I want us to work. Do you think it's too late?"

"I think you need to talk to him. Tell him what you just told me." Beverly said honestly.

"Thanks." Circe said suddenly.

"For what?" Beverly asked startled.

"For listening and being my friend." Circe answered.

"No prob." Beverly shrugged.

The door opened and Sarah happily skipped into the room.

"Hi,… bye." She greeted the two girls and skipped upstairs.

Meechum trudged tiredly into the room. "Ugh, next time I need to bring ear plugs and my flask." He peered at his sofa at the two teenagers. "Are you eating ice cream from the container and whip cream from the can?" He raised an eyebrow.

The two girls nodded. Circe sprayed the whip cream directly into her mouth.

"I'll never understand teenagers. Like you were raised in a barn." Meechum grumbled as he lumbered up the stairs. "Turn off the lights before you go to bed." He called down.

The girls looked at each other and laughed.

0o0

Calan sat in a scout ship. He tapped his foot impatiently as the pilot slowly, at least in his opinion, flew to the last location of Holiday's call.

"Captain, we're here but we don't see Agent Six or Dr. Holiday." One of the grunts reported.

Calan scowled as he peered into his screen. He surveyed the ground below. It was obvious that there had been a fight. Where could they have gone?

A red portal opened up and Valentina showed up along with two people who he vaguely recognized from TV. Lansky and Rombauer?

The scout ship landed. Calan walked out and greeted Valentina.

"Well, as you can see the EVO isn't here. And Agent Six and Dr. Holiday have gone missing as well." Calan said as he walked toward the group. He looked at Lansky curiously. "I haven't seen you guys in awhile."

Lansky reflexively saluted the captain. "Yes, sir." Then he relaxed when he realized he no longer worked for Providence. "Well, since the world wide cure me and Rombauer was kinda out of work. But Valentina has hired us because of our special set of skills." Lansky explained.

Calan nodded. It made sense. A sudden noise from the car put everyone on the defensive.

Valentina drew out her firearm as did Calan. Lansky and Rombauer got out odd looking poles. "Nets," Rombauer explained when Calan cocked an eyebrow. Calan nodded. They all approached the limo cautiously. Calan crept to the door. He held up three fingers. He put them down one by one. When he reached the last finger, he swung open the door. Green Fists pounced at the door.

"Don't hurt me!" Screamed the limo driver. Everyone relaxed.

"Sir, what happened here?" Valentina asked helping the man out of the car.

"There were these creatures… and then they were fighting… and then there were dozens of them. They knocked out the man and the lady. They disappeared until there was two and then they took off with them." The man was shaking and rambling on.

"Shuttle, send the doctor. There's a civilian who needs some medical attention." Calan hit his comlink.

Valentina was looking at the ground. She got up and brushed her hands. "The shadow EVO is on the move. All the EVOs on the island have been tagged. We should be able to find where it went."

"Well, what are we waiting for let's go." Calan said.

Valentina insisted that only Calan accompany her and her men. She didn't want to frighten the EVO she had said. Calan wondered why she wasn't more concerned about Six and Holiday. But he left his men with the frightened limo driver and was currently on a stealth cycle with Valentina's arms around his waist. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. The moon and stars provided ample light. He could feel her warm breath against his neck. If he wasn't so worried about Six and Holiday, he'd actually be enjoying himself.

Lansky and Rombauer had each borrowed a hoverboard and were flying on either side of the stealth cycle.

"Over there!" She pointed at something moving in the distant sky. Calan squinted. He couldn't make anything out at first. He turned on the binocular function on his helmet's visor. Two flying shadow figures came into view. Each seemed to be carrying something.

"I thought you said there was one EVO." Calan called to Valentina.

"I also said replicating." Valentina retorted. She then addressed her men on the communicator on her collar. "Rombauer, Lansky, can you get close to them?"

"Does New Jersey stink?" Rombauer asked.

There was silence on Valentina and Calan's end.

"It does." Raombauer assured them.

There was more silence.

"It's his total failed way of saying we can." Lansky stated as he flew after one of the two EVOs.

"The question was rhetorical anyway." Rombauer huffed as he chased after his partner.

"I can see why Providence didn't want them." Valentina mused.

Calan briefly looked back at her, "So why did you take them?"

"It was sad to see two grown men beg." Valentina smirked.

"You really are a bleeding heart." He couldn't help grinning.

"Well, you're lucky I am or I wouldn't have gone out with you." She said giving him a light squeeze.

"Hmph, don't do it on my account." Calan said indignantly.

"I didn't." She whispered low in his ear before she nipped his ear lobe.

Calan jumped a little at the unexpected contact. "If ya'll don't want me crashin' the dang cycle you better just let me concentrate." He growled as his accent thickened again.

He could feel her smirk against his back. "Sorry." She said unrepentantly.

Calan shook his head as he pushed his bike to go faster.

0o0

When Six came to he noticed that he was looking at the world passing him by upside down. He tried to clear his head by shaking it but when a wave of nausea hit he realized that was a bad idea. He cautiously turned his head to the side. His heart hit his throat when he saw the shadow creature holding an unconscious Holiday in its arms. He gritted his teeth. Looking up he saw that his shadow creature was holding him by the ankle in one hand. In the other hand he was holding his magna blades. Despite his aching head he grabbed a shuriken from his inside pocket. With one mighty swing he grabbed the shadow creature's leg while simultaneously stabbing its arm. The creature yelped and let go of Six's leg. The creature also let go of Six's magna blades. Six tried to grab them but they were too far away. He watched them drop to the desert floor until someone flew underneath and grabbed them.

"Hey, Agent Six! Need a hand." Six couldn't place the face but he looked familiar.

"Can you get Dr. Holiday away from that thing?" Six was planning on taking care of his own abductor.

"Sure thing." The brown haired man called as he tossed Six back his blades.

He flew off to the other EVO who looked like was engaged with another person who Six thought looked familiar.

Six turned his attention to his EVO. He brought his blades together and made a staff. Using it he forced the beast to go closer to the ground before he broke his blades apart and slashed the beast. The shadow creature roared and fell. Six leapt off its back and landed on his feet. The creature slid into the ground and left a crater line of rock and dirt. He looked up to make sure Holiday was okay. One of the men on the hoverboard managed to get Holiday away from the creature. The other blasted it with a net. The man flew Holiday down and handed her to Six. Six gently cradled her to his chest.

"Thank you." He said flatly.

"You're welcome." The stocky man gave a two finger salute before flying off to help the other one.

Six nuzzled Holiday's face. Holiday's eyes fluttered opened.

She moaned. "What happened?"

"How are you feeling?" He asked softly.

"Mmmph, I feel like I was hit by a ton of bricks." Holiday closed her eyes and put her hand to her head. Then something seemed to occur to her. "Umm, Six?"

"Yes," Six said in his usual tone.

"You can put me down now." Holiday said softly. "I'm okay."

"I think I better hold on to you a little longer." He said stoically.

"No, really Six. I can at least stand." Holiday insisted.

Six was saved from answering when Calan and Valentina drove up in the stealth cycle.

"Hey, you two! Are you okay?" Calan took off his helmet and walked over to them concerned.

"We're fine." Six said.

"Yes, what happened?" Holiday asked. "What are those things?"

"It's a shadow EVO from the Nanite Island. Someone poached it this afternoon." Valentina answered.

"One?" Holiday looked at the one on the ground and the one in the sky being brought in.

"They replicate." She went over to the fallen one. It dissolved into the ground. "This is not the original. The replicates disappear when they are hurt."

Lansky and Rombauer dragged the struggling beast to the ground. Valentina walked over to it. She hushed it and stroked its head. It made a low growl. She frowned as she ran her hand behind the creature's ear. She pulled off a small chip. The creature immediately stopped struggling and became docile.

Valentina held up the chip. "This thing was controlling it."

"Let me see… Oh for goodness sakes, Six, I'm fine now put me down." Six carefully set Rebecca on her feet. Holiday reached for the chip. "It looks like those nanite chips Van Kleiss had, remember Six?" She turned to him.

Six scowled. Before he could answer the chip in Holiday's hand popped. Smoke came out and Holiday dropped it, holding her hand in surprise.

"Are you hurt?" Six immediately moved to Holiday's side and took her hand.

"Yes, I'm fine, just a slight burn. More startled than hurt." Rebecca rubbed the spot.

Calan bent over the chip. "It self destructed. I guess someone really doesn't want us to know what's going on."

"Come on, let's get back to base." Six growled. "We have more work to do." He looked at Valentina.

"I have this EVO taken care of." She replied to his unasked question. A red portal opened up. "We'll be in touch." She, her men, and the EVO disappeared into the red hole.

"She could have at least offered us a ride." Calan muttered. He pressed his comlink. "Shuttle? Three for pick up. Lock onto my coordinates."

**So I was tired of seeing all these cool fight moves in my head but was not able to describe them so I actually looked up the names of them. There's this great site that has a list of them with videos: www. club540. com****/tricktionary. **

**I watched a lot of Kung Fu movies (badly dubbed I might add) with my dad when I was a kid. **

***The Kip-up is done by first lying on one's back, and bringing both legs high into the chest before kicking them upwards and away from the chest. If done correctly, this action puts some pressure on the neck and the back ****of the head, which creates a rebounding effect that allows the performer to get his feet under him and land standing up. (From the ** ** website)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry for the delay. I'm sure you don't want to hear about my leaky shower and the recall on my car, so anyway, yeah real life...**

** I hope you are still enjoying this story. So just for a second let me put on my mom hat. This is not an admonishment but rather an encouragement and not just for me but for all the hard working writers on this site. There are some really great stories here and we should all support the writers by leaving comments on the story. I know some are shy and some don't know what to write. You don't need to comment on every chapter but if there was a particular funny, poignant, or exciting part you liked let the person know. Don't flame and don't troll. Constructive criticism is appreciated but even a simple, hey, I really like this… would be helpful to the writer and encourage them to continue. So please keep that in mind as you read these stories. No one is getting paid. They are doing it for the love of the craft and to entertain you. Let them know they are appreciated and not wasting their time posting. Thank you. Now back to the story.**

**I do not own nada.**

**Episode 16**

Rex had already been sleeping several hours when someone knocked at his door. He snorted and rolled over the drool from his mouth coating his pillow. The knock became more insistent. A pillow suddenly smacked him in the head. He snorted awake.

"I didn't put that spider in White Knight's milk!" He sat straight up in bed.

"Hey, chief. Someone's knockin' at the door." Bobo said.

Rex rubbed his eyes. "So why don't you answer it?" He asked annoyed.

"Because it ain't for me." Bobo settled back into his hammock.

"How do you know it's for me?" Rex questioned.

Bobo touched his nose. "Most people who come looking for me don't wear perfume."

"What?" Rex bolted out of bed only to fall over when his legs got tangled up in his sheets.

The knock came again and this time accompanied by a soft, "Rex?"

Rex crawled to the door all the while trying to get the stubborn sheet off his legs. "Coming!" He finally reached the door and pried his legs out of the twisted mess. "Circe?"

The door slid opened to reveal Circe standing outside his room.

"What's wrong?" Rex blinked to adjust to the bright light in the hallway.

"Nothing's wrong. Well, except one thing. I've been talking to Beverly and…" She trailed off when she saw Bobo looking at them head propped on his hands, wide grin on his face. "Is there some place we can talk privately?"

Rex turned around to see Bobo watching them attentively. "Oh come on. This is better than the soap operas on TV."

"Yeah, I think there's someplace we can go." Rex snatched his jacket off his chair and shut the door ignoring Bobo's protests.

Ten minutes later they were on Providence's rooftop.

"What's going on?" Rex stifled a yawn.

Circe was now feeling less sure about this. She took a deep breath. "First off Rex, I'm sorry about… well about everything."

"Everything?" Rex frowned.

"Yeah, like not believing you about Van Kleiss, clocking you in the head with the modern art, attacking you in the bug jar…" She listed each offense on her fingers.

"Okay, I get the picture." Rex said. "So why tell me this now?"

"Beverly and I have been talking and I realized…" Circe swallowed hard. "I want to see if we can make _us_ work. I've never met anyone like you before and if I live a hundred years I don't think I'll meet anyone like you again. I don't want to lose you because I was too stubborn or too scared to try. That is if you want to try."

Rex was having a hard time understanding. "So does that mean we're together again?"

"Yes, Rex if that's what you want. I know I don't have any right to…" Circe stopped when Rex's index finger touched her lips.

Rex's brain was still in sleep mode. "So that means you're my girlfriend again, right?"

Circe nodded since Rex's finger was still on her lips.

"That's great because…" Rex paused and a wicked grin graced his face, "You look cold. Want to use me as a blanket?"

Circe blinked at him, "Wow, that was… um… sad."

"Okay, how about this one? I must be in a museum, because you truly are a work of art." Rex still had that grin.

Circe smacked his shoulder. "You're such a goofball." But the sides of her mouth twitched.

"No, how about this one? If you were a steak, you would be well done."

Circe couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. "You, of course, had to mention food."

Rex's stomach growled at that moment. "It's because I'm hungry for you."

They both laughed heartily. It was good to be with him especially when he put his arm around her and pulled her against him. She put her head on his shoulder and they watched the stars together.

0o0

When the scout ship returned to Providence, Six had ordered everyone to get some rest. He was calling an early morning meeting. Rebecca had wanted to stay up to analyze the burnt out chip but Six nixed the idea. He was sure that there would not be anything salvageable and she would just wear herself out. He needed her to be rested and at her best for tomorrow. Rebecca had looked like she was about to argue but to his surprise she just kissed his cheek and told him good night. He wasn't sure why his stomach twisted like it did but he had no time to dwell on it. He buried all feelings deep down. He had work to do.

But Six was irritable. This was the third failed proposal. Even though he now really wanted to propose, fate seemed to have other ideas. Before he could dwell on kismet, he needed to address something. He and Rebecca were attacked tonight. It was too coordinated to be a coincidence. Another disturbing fact was that not many people knew about the details of their trip. So it leaves only one explanation. Somehow their security has been compromised. The last thing he wanted was to put Rebecca in danger. So he had some late night investigating to do.

0o0

In the morning Rex walked into the cafeteria with a smile on his face until he saw his brother. His chin was on the table and he was staring at some doohickey in front of him.

"Hey, bro. What's that you got?" He asked.

Caesar gave a sad sigh. "I was working on this for Beverly." He flipped a switch on the side of the box. The box opened up; a sparkling blue light emitted from the middle. A hologram appeared in the tube of light. It was a ballerina twirling to a familiar song."

"Is that… Celine Dion?" Rex asked.

"Yes, why?" Caesar asked.

"Geez, can't you find something more subtle?" Rex wrinkled his nose.

"Well, I could have used Lionel Ritchie." Caesar said, "but I thought a power ballad would be better."

Rex shook his head. Circe walked in and he smiled.

"Morning," they both said at the same time. They blushed and laughed.

Caesar raised his head slightly to look at them. Then he dropped back on his chin. "I gather you two have made up?"

"You could say that," Rex put his arm around Circe.

"That's nice," Caesar said weakly.

Circe rolled her eyes. She reached over and whacked Caesar over his head.

"Caesar, you dummy. Beverly likes you." She snapped at him.

Caesar looked stun for a minute. "She does? But she's going to the prom with Chad."

"It's part of her cover. She likes you but you're too busy being… you." Circe glared at him.

"Then I still have a chance." Caesar said happily picking his head up.

"What do you mean still… you always had it! But if keep being an idiot you'll lose her." Circe said directly.

Caesar got up. "I've got to see her now."

Rex pulled him back into his seat. "Bro, not now. You'll blow her cover. Relax. After the prom you can talk to her."

Caesar frowned at him. Then he relaxed. "Right, immediately after the prom."

"What are you going to do?" Rex asked worried by the look on his face.

"If I'm going to wait for her after the prom, I better be at the prom. So I'll be there when it's over." He answered.

"How?" Rex asked.

"I don't know yet. But I'll think of something." Caesar said determinedly. Before Rex could ask more, Calan walked in.

"Meeting in 10 minutes guys. It's important." Calan said grimly.

The group nodded and quickly finished up breakfast. Time to see what's going on.

0o0

Very early in the morning, Six was already sitting in his office. He had ran through everything he could think of. He couldn't find out how Fell seemed to know their moves. He rubbed his eyes. His shades sat on his desk. It was too early. No one was around, not even the secretary. Someone knocked at the door. He quickly put his sunglasses on.

"Come in." He said. Holiday walked in with a cup of coffee. Six relaxed as she walked over with the steaming cup.

"Thought you might like some before the meeting," she said softly.

"Thank you. You didn't have to," he said gratefully accepting it.

"Like you're not always getting me coffee at all hours of the night," she smiled as she sat on the edge of his desk. She looked at him closer. "Six, is everything all right?"

Six took another sip before answering. He debated lying but knew she would call him on it. "There's a leak somewhere."

Holiday nodded. "I thought as much. Do you know how?"

Six took off his shades and tossed them on the desk. It was only Rebecca. "No, I looked all last night. All channels are secure. Every personnel checked out. I even did a sweep for bugs. We're clean."

Holiday didn't answer. She could tell he was frustrated. She walked over and slowly began kneading his shoulders and neck. She worked her way down his back loosening the knots that had formed. She could feel his tense muscles relaxing. When she was done he pulled her onto his lap. Six looked deep into Rebecca's beautiful green eyes and gently pulled her face close to his. They kissed deeply. She ran her fingers through the short hairs at the nape of his neck. They broke apart when the intercom buzzed.

"Agent Six, the people for your morning meeting has arrived," the secretary announced.

Six reached over and pressed the intercom button. "Tell them I'll meet them in the conference room."

"Very good, sir."

Holiday sighed and made to get out of his lap. But to her surprise he pulled her back down. He kissed her again. When they pulled apart they were both breathless.

"Ready?" Six asked as he put his sunglasses back on.

"Mmmm, maybe in a minute." She grabbed his tie and pulled him in.

0o0

Rex looked around. This must be a new record. He was here before Six. Before he could comment, however, Six walked in with Doc. Calan had warned them earlier not to ask about a ring as the proposal was preempted by an EVO attack. So Rex, Circe, and Caesar sat quiet as Six started distributing the files he had tucked under his arm.

"We seem to have a problem being one step ahead of the enemy. Our last chance seems to be with the prom. We pulled the hotel's registry. Interesting guest list. There seems to be several people of questionable background around that evening. We are running checks on them now. Caesar, do you have anything that might counter act the N-juice?"

Caesar sighed, "Not quite but I modified my Nanite Paralyzer to temporarily deactivate the corrupt nanites. Unfortunately, I only had so many parts to make it compact so right now there's only one. " Rex made a face when he heard the words Nanite Paralyzer. He had been an unfortunate victim of it previously.

"That will have to do. Now I need someone to infiltrate the hotel staff." Six said.

Caesar's hand shot up. Everyone gaped at him.

"Um Caesar? What do you know about staffing at a hotel?" Rex looked at his brother.

"It's just for one night. How hard can it be?" Caesar scoffed.

Six thought about it. "It might not be a bad idea to have a scientist there."

"Serious?" Rex muttered but said no more when Six gave him the look.

"I was told that Federico's sensitive smell can detect the drug. Caesar, work with him to see if you could pinpoint where the N-juice might be at the hotel." Six continued. "Rex and Circe, you are both on surveillance duty if you can handle that."

"We're okay." Circe insisted. Holiday smiled relieved. She was glad to see them getting along.

I sent Bobo on ahead to tap the phone lines of the guests in question. We can monitor who they are contacting." Six stated.

"Isn't that illegal?" Rex asked.

"Let me worry about that." Six said flatly. He then looked at Calan.

"From the information we gathered so far, it looks like there is some sort of deal happening at the prom. I will have my men stationed near-by but if anything happens you are on your own until we get there."

Holiday cleared her throat, "Will it be necessary for Beverly to attend since we have so many people already."

Six shook his head. "We need all hands on deck. With so many people there she should be safe." He hated that Holiday's shoulder's slumped slightly. But before she could say anything else the EVO alarm sounded. The noise startled them because it had been a while since it last went off.

A grunt rushed into the conference room. "Sirs, there's an EVO attack at the mall."

"What?" Rex jumped out of his seat. "What level?"

"It seems to be a level 4." The grunt replied.

Rex muttered a curse. "That's pretty serious"

"Rex, take Circe and take care of that EVO. I'll get your surveillance equipment ready for tomorrow." Six ordered.

Rex formed his rex ride and Circe hopped on. He roared out of the room.

Six's jaw tightened. It was too much of a coincidence that an EVO attack would occur right now.

0o0

When Beverly woke up in the morning she was excited to find out how Six and Rebecca's night went. But when she checked her phone she found a troubling text from Six. It basically stated that _it_ didn't happen because there was an attack on them. It also warned her not to say anything to anyone because there might be a spy amongst them. Beverly blanched. She was worried about Rebecca but the text specifically told her not to contact Providence and to continue to gather as much information as possible.  
How was she suppose to do that especially since there was a spy around? She can't believe that anyone she knew could be a traitor. But there had been traitors in the past like Weever and some other rogue agents.

After moping for a while, she realized that she still needed to get a dress for the prom. So she pulled herself together and got ready to go to the mall. Taking the bus, since Meechum was at work, she arrived at the mall late morning. At the mall she didn't know what dress to get. She wanted to look nice but she didn't want to give Chad the wrong idea. At the end of the night, she was going to have to let him down. As she wandered aimlessly looking at store windows a commotion on the first floor caught her attention. She looked over the railing. She saw some of her classmates trembling in fear. Another one was starting to grow scales and extra arms. He grew larger until he seemed to fill the space below. Beverly ran down and grabbed Noel, a girl she knew from math class.

"What happened?" Beverly demanded.

"Jason... I don't know. He said he wasn't feeling well then he..." Noel was near tears. The thing that was Jason roared. Sharp rows of teeth protruded from his bottom lip. He saw Beverly and Noel.

He charged them. Beverly pushed Noel out of the way. At the same time she jump in the opposite direction. The monster rammed into a store scattering merchandise all over the floor. He pulled his head out. He turned to glare at Beverly. She had a sinking feeling. The monster charged again. At the last second Beverly stepped out of the way but stuck out her foot. The monster tripped over her leg and flew into the fountain. It roared in anger. Beverly didn't wait for it to get out. She ran. Pounding footsteps followed her. Beverly was afraid to turn around to see how close the monster was. She managed to glance to her side. She gauged the distance of the EVO by their reflection in the windows. He was gaining.

Beverly spotted the arcade. She did a quick stop and ran inside. Maybe she could lose him in the noise and flashing lights. The monster smashed through the door. The EVO began pushing over games and crushing machines. The few kids that were there fled through the broken doors. Beverly hid behind the claw crane. She made a quick peek. The stuff animals hid her from view but she was able to see how far away the EVO was. She crawled to the next machine and stayed put. Jason grabbed the claw machine and shook it before throwing it against the wall. Beverly cringed as the machine hit the wall and broke into a million pieces. The EVO seemed to have forgotten about her. He was now occupied with wrecking anything with a flashing light. Beverly softly snuck behind the EVO and headed toward the door. Just as she reached it her foot got caught in the whac-a-mole game's mallet. She tripped and fell. The monster looked over. The EVO had been ripping apart a stuff animal. Now a rabbit head was peeking out of its fangs. The EVO dropped it and roared.

Beverly scrambled up and ran out of the arcade. The EVO burst out leaving more destruction in its wake. Beverly ran up the escalator going the wrong way. Ignoring the yells of the indignant people she made it to the top. But the EVO made one leap from the bottom. She was stopped in her tracks when the EVO landed in front of her. Beverly could feel the creature's breath on her face. She slowly backed up until her back hit the rail. She had no where else to go. She was trapped.


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you to my faithful reviewers KakaAnko, X, and Kawaii. I'm glad you are enjoying this. Thanks also to all the Guests. And thank you Queenemily for PMing me. I appreciate your support as well. **

**I do not own.**

**Episode 17**

Beverly closed her eyes as the beast's gaping maw came closer to Beverly's face. The beast was about to rip her face off when it was suddenly pulled back. When a breeze hit Beverly's face instead of a teeth Beverly opened her eyes. To her surprise she saw Rex and Circe.

"Run!" Circe yelled at her. She didn't have to tell her twice. Beverly ran down the escalators. As she reached the bottom, she headed for the door. She briefly looked back to see Rex smacking the EVO around. Beverly wasn't paying attention to where she was going and ran right into the arms of Chad.

"Beverly," he gasped, "are you all right?"

"Chad, what are you doing here?" Beverly asked.

"Getting ready for the prom like you." Chad answered.

They both jumped when the EVO roared.

"Let's get out of here." Chad grabbed Beverly's arm and pulled her out the door.

He dragged her into the parking lot mall.

"Wait, where are we going?" Beverly asked pulling her arm from his grasp.

"Getting you to a safe place," he answered.

"Where's that?" Beverly eyed him suspiciously.

"Well, umm.." Chad seemed to falter.

"Beverly!" Meechum drove up in his car. "Get in here right now young lady!"

Beverly looked relieved, "Thanks Chad. I'll see you tomorrow." She ran into the car. If she had looked back she would have seen Chad's eyes narrow.

0o0

Rex was punching the EVO with his smack hands but it only seemed to make it angrier. Rex swung again but this time one of the EVO's arms grabbed it. The EVO pulled Rex in and punched him. Rex flew back and slid on hi back until he hit the wall. The EVO roared and started to charge Rex. Rex got unsteadily to his feet. Before the EVO could reach Rex it was knocked into a clothing store by Circe's sonic scream.

"How do you like that roar?" Circe snapped. The monster shook its head. Clothing hung from its extra limbs. He tried to shake them off. While he was distracted Rex formed his bad axes. He relentlessly slashed at the EVO driving it back toward the railing. The monster blocked each hit but was on the defensive. When it finally reached the railing Rex formed his punk busters and gave a high kick into his chest. The EVO broke through the railing and fell to the first floor leaving a crater on the bottom. Rex and Circe peered over. The beast was not moving. They looked at each other and smiled. Providence troops began pouring through the doors.

"Hmph, well, at least someone else can clean up the mess" Circe said dourly.

Rex formed his sky slyder and flew down to the EVO's body. He touched its shoulders. A familiar whirling sound of nanites working filled the air. Everyone watched as the massive body grew smaller and smaller. In less than a minute, a half naked boy lay in the crater. Rex staggered back and would have fallen if Circe wasn't there to catch him.

"You all right?" She righted him.

"Just a little woozy. Those nanites feel different like they were cranky after a nap." Rex rubbed his head.

"It sounds like the second type of drug, the one that makes EVOs." Circe hypothesized.

"Could be. It didn't feel like he was in control." Rex doubled over again. Circe grabbed him with a worried look on her face.

"Maybe we should get you checked out by Doctor Holiday." She said

"Yeah, "agreed Rex, "but hey, since we're here, wanna get some chili cheese fries?"

"Rex," Circe admonished, "how can you think of food right now?"

His stomach growled.

Circe shook her head. "Fine, we'll get some chili cheese fries then straight to Providence."

Rex grinned. "Can I lean on you? I'm still feeling weak."

"Don't push your luck." Circe said but she put her arm around his waist. They headed for the food court as the agents started their clean up.

0o0

Somewhere across town some teenagers at the Burger Shack were having lunch.

"Ouch! Something bit me," one of them said. Suddenly, he hunched over dropping his tray. He gasped and screamed. His body started bubbling and growing. Spikes sprouted from his body; his skin turned a purplish hue; his eyes sunk into his face until there was no discernable facial feature left except a mouth... a mouth full of crocodile-like teeth. All his friends could do was look on in horror. When the transformation was complete there was a purple spiny frog-like EVO. It leapt from table to table until it reached the window. It then smashed through and hopped down the street overturning cars and scattering people wherever it landed.

In the library a teenaged girl screamed as her hands became claws and brown feathers grew from her body. Her hair seemed to pull into head while her nose and mouth elongated into a beak. When her transformation was done, there was a vulture-like EVO standing in the non-fiction section. It shrieked and with its powerful legs propelled itself upward. It broke through the roof and escaped into the sky. As the people around gawked at the hole, an elderly librarian raised a finger to her lips and shushed everyone.

A few teens sat in a nearly empty theater watching a horror film. Just as the heroine jerked open the door, a blue gelatinous ameba burst forth from the screen. It oozed off the screen moving towards the seats. The teens screamed and fled the theater. The blob proceeded to eat the chairs while the movie played on..

0o0

Calan gritted his teeth. There had been a dozen EVO sightings in the last 5 hours. It was like an EVO explosion. The only thing they had in common was that they were teenagers. Some were from Benjamin Franklin High School, others were not. Some were known druggies who may or may not have in the past used N-juice. Most however, if their friends were to be believed, were not. _What's going on?_ Calan wondered to himself.

"They're distracting us." Six said as if reading Calan's thoughts.

"Well, they're doing a good job." Calan replied. "We're stretched thin right now."

Holiday took that moment to come in. "Six, Calan, look at this." She held up a plastic baggy with a small dart in it.

"Is that the same type of thing from the county fair?" Six asked.

"Yes, it contains N-juice, the one that causes EVOs." I found it in 4 out of the 5 victims you brought in." Holiday replied.

"So teens are being targeted?" Calan frowned. "Why?"

"Well, they are the only ones out in large numbers at this time of day." Holiday suggested. "But it seems more likely that they are the perfect test subjects."

"What do you mean?" Six turned to her.

"Well, they are young, relatively healthy, and it'll take the drug longer to destroy their bodies. Plus the bonus is that they are easy to find."

"I see." Six muttered to himself.

"Agent Six, Tuck and Cricket are here to see you." The intercom announced.

"Send them in." Six replied.

Tuck and Cricket walked in and saluted. Calan saluted back. Six just nodded.

"What did you find out?" Six asked.

"Well, after trying to find the dealer was a bust, we went to Mr. Feines like you said. He gave us several locations of places owned by Black Knight. We raided almost all of them and found nothing more than abandon bases." Tuck answered.

Cricket picked up the narrative, "But there is one place that was listed as condemned. It's the last place we haven't looked."

Six looked at Calan. "Get your men down there. If we can shut down the operations now, we needn't worry about the prom."

"Got it. But what about the EVOs?" Calan asked.

"Rex, Circe, Bobo, and I will take care of any more outbreaks." Six replied.

Calan nodded. He motioned for Tuck and Cricket to follow him. They left the room.

Six turned his attention to Rebecca. "How's Rex doing?"

"Well, he's going to need to off-load his nanites soon if he has to cure anymore EVOs." Holiday shook her head. "He says it feels strange when he cures them."

"How so?" Six was immediately concerned.

"He says it's like the nanites are cranky, like they didn't want to be activated in the first place so although he can deactivate them it tires him out." Holiday was also concerned.

"How long before he needs to off-load?" Six was of course practical.

"I'd say if he cures another three to four EVOs more, his body's liable to tear itself apart not to mention he may take out 100 meters of wherever he may be at the time." Holiday said seriously.

"I guess we have no choice but to do it now since there's a lull in activity. Can you handle it yourself?" He asked.

Holiday got up. "I'm a big girl. I've done this so often I can do it in my sleep with one hand tied behind my back…"

"Alright then." Six interrupted with a smirk.

Holiday smirked back. She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. They gave each other faint smiles before Rebecca straightened up and walked out looking back one more time. Six leaned back in his chair. He hoped they wouldn't need Rex for a while.

0o0

"Oh, come on Doc. Do we have to do this now?" Rex complained as Holiday drove him to the nanite off loading site.

"Rex, need I remind you what nearly happened last time you didn't do this in a timely manner." Rebecca rebuked him.

"Yeah, yeah, you're right. But I don't want Circe taking care of the EVO problem by herself. " Rex pouted.

"Bobo's with her and Six is back up. Don't worry. As soon as your nanites are off-loaded you can return to curing the EVOs." Holiday reassured him.

"Hmph." came Rex's response. But he seem mollified.

They arrived at the remote area and Rex entered the chamber. Holiday gave Rex some gas to knock him out so that it would be less painful. Rex closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him.

_Rex opened his eyes. Everything was blurred like he was peering through a fog. It looked like he was a clearing of a forest._

"_Rex, Rex," a voice called to him. It was distorted and odd sounding. _

"_Who's there?" Rex called. He ran in direction of the voice. Shadows emerged from the trees. He ran towards them but as soon as he reached them they disappeared. _

"_Rex, Rex," the voice called again._

_Again shadows appeared in the distance. Rex ran towards them only for them to disappear again._

"_What's going on?" Rex cried in frustration. _

"_Rex…we're still here."_

"_Who's still here? Who are you?" Rex spun around._

_Then there was a laugh that echoed through the trees. It sent shivers down Rex's spine. He looked down and there were shadow hands pulling him down._

"_No! Stop!" Rex screamed as he was pulled into the down._

Rex's eyes snapped open. He gasped and jack-knifed up. He looked around. He was in the off-loading chamber. The machine indicated he was done. Rex rubbed his face. That was such a weird dream. The EVO alarm sounded. No time to ponder what was going on. Duty calls.

0o0

Calan stood outside the supposed abandoned base. He had a few Providence tanks and scout ships waiting several feet away. He, Tuck, and Cricket went in for a closer look.  
"It kinda looks empty," Cricket commented.  
"Looks can be deceiving." Calan pointed to the door. "Hinges are well oiled. Not rusted like the rest of the place."  
Tuck knelt down for a closer look. "You're right. It looks like new."

"So how do we get in?" Cricket asked no one in particular.  
"Open sesame?" Tuck joked as he stood up.  
Calan and Cricket looked at him.  
"It's from a story. This reminded me of it." Tuck shrugged.  
The door swung open surprising the group.  
Gun fire came out from the darkened opening. Tuck and Cricket immediately brought their own weapons out and fired back. The group quickly fell back to the Providence tanks.  
"Looks like we were expected," Calan growled. He motioned for his men to return fire.

Tanks rolled out of the doors. They were Providence tanks painted black. Behind the tanks black pawns marched out.

"This doesn't look good," Tuck muttered as he shot at the opposition.

"Captain, our guns aren't making any difference." Cricket said as she continued firing.

"I know. We have to hold out ground. They don't want us getting inside which means we have to!" Calan pulled out the broiler. The massive gun fired a beam at the ground of the tank. The ground crumbled and the tank fell in. The tank behind it was forced to go around it. Effectively causing a bottle neck.

"Keep firing!" Calan ordered. Several more broilers were brought out as well as some missile launchers.

0o0

Circe held a neutral detention grid to her chest. She peeked around the corner of the building. The spiky frog EVO had its long tongue out. Its tongue was attached to an electrical grid sucking out power. The lights on the buildings flickered as power was being drained.

She took a deep breath and jumped out firing the net. The spiky frog hopped away just before the net could catch it.

Circe muttered an oath as she watched the stupid thing hop down the street. She chased it down the block. When it reached the end of the street, the frog EVO turned around and shot its spikes at Circe who ducked and rolled. She fired off another net only for the frog to avoid it.

"Hold still you lousy wart maker!" She yelled. She aimed and fired but missed again.

The frog fired off more spikes. Circe's sonic scream disintegrated them before it reached her. She covered her face as a cloud of powder showered her. When she looked up the frog was gone.

Circe gave an aggravate growl before resuming the hunt.

She finally caught up with it. It was perched on a neon sign several feet above her.

"Of course, you can't make this easy." She grumbled.

Circe decided she'd had enough. She blasted the sign from underneath the frog. As it fell she fired the grid. With no leverage, the net caught the frog in mid air. It dropped to the ground.

Just then Rex with his touched down with his boogie pack. He looked at the netted EVO.

"Huh, looks like you didn't need me. I guess I could go grab something to eat. Off-loading nanites always makes me hungry."

"Breathing makes you hungry." Circe retorted.

"Hey, I'm a growing boy." Rex smirked.

"Yeah, but you're suppose to grow up not out." Circe poked his stomach.

"Hey, I'm in shape." Rex protested.

"Only because round is a shape," Circe answered. There was a snapping sound. Both of them looked to the net. The EVO had gotten out.

"I got this." Rex formed his punk busters and smack hands. He was able to leap as high as the frog. As the frog was in mid-leap, Rex punched it with his smack hands. It landed on the street with a sickening crack. It didn't move. Rex landed on the ground next to it. He rescinded his builds and placed his hand on the frog EVO's head. The frog changed back into a boy.

Circe walked over. "Come on hero. Help me load him in back of the van. Caesar is checking out all the EVO victims."

Bobo pulled the Providence van around for Rex and Circe to load the boy into the back. When Rex and Circe had finished loading the boy, their comlinks crackled to life.

"Rex, Circe, Calan needs help. It seems they have found Fell's headquarters." Six said.

"Really?" Rex asked incredulously.

"Yes, go. They are pinned down by heavy fire and black pawns."

"On our way!" Rex made his boogie pack, grabbed Circe and headed to help Calan.

"Hey!" Bobo yelled at them.

"Sorry, Bobo, get the van back to Providence. We have work to do." Rex called back.

"You owe me a pizza!" Bobo yelled at the speck in the sky.

0o0

Beverly was grateful that Meechum had found her.

"How did you know where I was?" She asked.

"I didn't. You really should learn to leave a note." He grumbled. "I just thought, where would a teenager go and drove over to the mall."

"Thanks," she said sheepishly, "Why were you looking for me?"

Meechum sighed, "You sister's worried about you. When the EVO alarm went off and she couldn't find you, she called me to go find you. I was half-way to work."

Beverly looked at her phone. There were five missed calls from Rebecca. "I'm sorry," she said embarrassed.

"Forget about it. I didn't really want to go to work anyway. But I should get you home and you'll need to stay put." Meechum stated firmly.

"I still need a dress for the prom." Beverly said softly.

She saw from the corner of her eye, Meechum's shoulder slouch a little. He sighed. "Fine." He made a sudden u-turn.

Surprised, Beverly gaped at him. "What are you doing?"

"We're going to buy you a dress but not at the mall. Those things are gaudy anyway. You teens these days have no taste. We are going to you something elegant." He said.

Beverly looked at him wide-eyed but said nothing. She wondered what his idea of elegant was and hoped it didn't mean _old_.

0o0

After Six contacted Rex and Circe he got into his jump jet. He flew to the coordinates to help Calan. When he arrived he could see that it was a stalemate. Neither side could get the other to move. Maybe he could tip the scales. Six opened fire on the black tanks from above. They exploded. Some of the black pawns opened fired on him but he just flew higher to avoid their shots. He, however, was still able to attack from his position. In a matter of minutes the tanks were destroyed. Calan and his men were able to start moving in.

Rex and Circe flew overhead. Circe jumped from Rex's arms and as soon as she hit the ground she blasted the black pawns with her sonic scream. Rex landed a few feet away. He formed his bad axes. He cut a path through the black pawns. They were getting closer to the door. Just as they reached the opening, Dr. Fell appeared.

"You'll never take me alive!" He screamed. He held up a small cylindrical device in his hand. He hit the button on top of it. A massive explosion consumed the base. Rex was blown back. Circe crouched down to avoid being hit by debris. When the smoke cleared, nothing was left.

"Rex? Calan? Report. Is everyone okay?" Six's voice calmly came through on their comlinks.

"Oww, I think I broke my butt." Rex groaned getting up and rubbing his backside.

"That's too bad. You had such a cute one too." Circe grinned smacking him.

"Hey ouch! You think I have a cute butt?" Rex turned around to look at it.

"You're so vain." Circe shook her head.

"Everyone's fine evidently." Calan said dryly interrupting the teens.

"But getting queasy." Tuck muttered referring to Circe and Rex's conversation.

Rex looked around. "Well, that was anti-climatic."

"Yes, it was too easy." Six agreed. "I want everyone sorting through the debris. See if you could find any… remains."

Six could hear groans come from all the teens.

Several hours later…

"Six, there's nothing here. Fell was probably incinerated to ashes." Rex complained.

"Bodies are harder to incinerate than you think, Rex." Six answered as he shifted through some more rock.

"That's disturbing you know that," Rex mumbled.

Calan walked over. "Six, it's getting late and it'll be dark soon. I think we need to get back and figure out what this means and what we're going to do about tomorrow."

Six had to agree with Calan. This latest development throws all previous plans into confusion.

"Call off the search for now. Let's get back to base." Six ordered.

"Yes!" Rex dropped the pile he had been holding as he fist pumped.

Everyone glared at him.

"What? It's not like you didn't want the same thing." Rex scoffed.

Six realized he was right. The search did seem pointless. "Let's go," was all he said as he walked to his jet.

The Providence agents dropped what they were doing and got ready to go back. Within a half hour the area was empty.

Standing from afar in the cliffs overhead, a lone figure picked up his radio.

"They're gone. Everything is going according to plan... The girl? No not yet. But all loose ends will be taken care of by tomorrow night." He ended his transmission. His eyes glowed red as a evil grin spread across his face.

**I'll be away for the next few days so I wanted to get this out. Sorry for any mistakes. I'll fix it when I get back.**


	18. Chapter 18

**I came back from vacation a few days ago ready to continue but then I found out a friend of mine passed away from ovarian cancer after battling it for 18 months. So it's made me introspective. Anyway, I guess what I want to say is treasure your friendships and your lives because you never know when it's your time. Make the best of your time here on earth. As for my friend, I have the hope of meeting her again one day. Rest in peace my friend.**

**On a lighter note, thank you to my usual suspects for your kind reviews. Thank you also to motherafrica. I'm glad you're still enjoying it. Also I added one extra part to Chapter 17 after I realized that I had said Bobo was with Circe and I left the poor boy in the van when Rex and Circe raced off. Anyway, I felt the need to clean up loose ends. This part is a little talky too. But some of you said that you like the romance so… here's for you. **

**I do not own any of the characters.**

It was dark when they arrived back to base, but they still needed to debrief.

"So after all that, Fell is just dead?" Rex asked.  
"It seems that way," Calan said.  
"Well, I need a body or some other empirical evidence before I believe it," Six stated.  
Holiday frowned. What they told her seemed unbelievable. Fell had set off explosives that destroyed him and the base he was in. Was he so desperate? Were they that close to stopping him? It didn't make sense, yet she wanted it to be true so that Beverly would be out of danger.  
"Well, then should we be concerned about the prom now?" Holiday asked carefully.  
"Well, if the Intel is correct, many of the disreputable men are still around. We should probably keep an eye on them. But they may not yet know what happened to Fell yet.  
I think we still need to have a presence there but I want Providence to concentrate on trying to clear that base out. I want to know what was there and to confirm Fell's demise." Six knew what Rebecca was getting at.  
"So, I'm still going undercover?" Caesar asked.  
"Yes," Six affirmed.  
"Good, because I had to pull some strings to get a job in the kitchen." Caesar replied.

"Really, what strings?" Rex raised an eyebrow.  
"I have a life outside of you." Caesar said mysteriously.  
"Let's call it a night and get some rest. We've had a long day today. Let's see what tomorrow brings." Six dismissed everyone.

Rebecca stayed behind. Rex, who was the last person to leave, saw that Doc wasn't following him through the door. He leaned back in to see what she was doing. Circe grabbed his jacket collar and pulled him through. The door slid shut. Rebecca was waiting to make sure that everyone left before walking over to Six. He had stood up and was gathering his files.

She put her hand over his to stop his movements. He didn't look up at her.

"So you don't think this is over do you?" She asked softly.

She saw him take a breath that was longer than usual. It was his imperceptible way of sighing.

"I think it's a trick. But we're going to play along at least until we know what's really going on here."

"Or until we find the leak?" Rebecca added. Then in a lower tone, "How do you know I'm not the leak?"

He surprised her when he pulled her in and kissed her passionately. When they parted, he whispered, "Because I know it's you and I trust you with my life."

Rebecca couldn't speak. It was probably the sweetest thing he ever said to her. Placing both her hands on his face she drew him closer.

"Same here," she said in equally hushed tones before kissing him back.

When she pulled back she placed her head on his chest. She could hear his heart pounding. Or was it hers?

"Rebecca, I have to ask you something." Six said quietly.

"Yes?" She asked just enjoying the warmth of his arms.

Six paused and swallowed hard. "Not now. I was wondering if you'll have dinner with me tomorrow?"

"But shouldn't we be keeping tabs on the prom?" Rebecca asked slightly pulling back so she could see his face.

"We will be. Dinner will be at the hotel's restaurant."

"That's a good idea. We can keep an eye out without being conspicuous." Holiday agreed.

Six was thinking of something else. "It's a date." He said in his usual tone but he pulled her closer against him.

0o0

Beverly and Meechum finally came home after dress shopping and picking Sarah up after school. Sarah demanded to see Beverly's dress as soon as they got home. So Beverly modeled it for her. Sarah sat wide eyed.

"Can I have it when you're done with it?" She asked innocently.

Meechum smiled indulgently, "When you're older I'll get you your own dress. But you're not dating until you're thirty."

"Daaaaad." Sarah whined.

Beverly smiled at the exchange. It reminded her of her and her own father. She felt a pang of homesickness for her parents but it passed. She wouldn't give up living at Providence these last few months. She'd seen and done so much not to mention growing as a person. Meechum nodded his approval before going to the kitchen to do dinner. He dragged Sarah with him so that Beverly could have some privacy.

Beverly smiled at Sarah's pouty face as Meechum literally pulled her out of her room. Beverly looked at herself in the mirror twisting this way and that.

As for the dress Beverly was pleasantly surprised that elegant didn't mean old. It meant elegant like in Audrey Hepburn. She looked at herself in the mirror. It wasn't frilly or puffy as some dresses were, nor was it short and revealing as some people tend to like it.  
It was a sleeveless, floor length gown that fitted her curves perfectly. The luminous pink fabric moved with her and shimmered in the light. The silk black belt around her middle made her thin waist look even thinner. She smiled but then she frowned. She needed to _break up_ with Chad. Maybe she needed to tone it down a little.  
Her phone rang. She looked at it. It was Circe.

"Hey, what's up?" Beverly answered. She absent-mindedly twirled in the mirror as she listened. But as the phone call continued Beverly sat on her bed.

"You mean Fell killed himself? So it's all over? Then I don't need to go to the prom do I? Oh just to keep up appearances? I guess. Does Caesar know? He's okay with it? Oh, I guess. Okay. Thanks for letting me know. So when is Six going to propose because I have some more ideas."  
There was a pause.  
"Really he's going to plan it himself? Well, I hope it's not lame. Yeah, at this point I'll take lame over no proposal. Okay when this is over let's go for a spa day. Cool. Bye."  
Beverly hung up. So now it was just a pity date. Oh well, the dress was a little too pretty to be a pity date but it was all she had right now. It'll have to do.

0o0

The next day all the seniors were out getting ready for the prom. Kenwyn passed by several crowded salons full of teenaged girls getting their hair and nails done. Kenwyn shook her head. She was informed by Tuck that Fell had killed himself and now her objective at the prom was to make sure the unsavory characters at the hotel did not harm any of the students. Not that they would pay them a second look. They probably had better things to do. Still to Kenwyn a job was a job and she would do it to the best of her ability. She just felt funny going by herself. She had bought an extra ticket just in case. She wasn't sure just in case what. But she was always prepared for any eventuality.

Kenwyn sighed.

"Hey pretty lady. Why the long face."

Startled Kenwyn turned around to see Walter with a crooked grin on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Kenwyn asked surprised.

"Just wandering around," he cocked his head to one side, "Going to the prom?"

"Yeah," she answered reluctantly.

"With who?"

The question was unexpected. "No one. I'm just…" She stopped before she said anymore. It didn't matter who this was she wasn't going to reveal her mission. She was supposed to be undercover. Walter was no longer apart of Providence. Therefore he was no longer privy to their secrets.

Walter took the abruptness in stride. He shrugged. "Well, if you're not going with anyone, mind if I tag along?"

Kenwyn's jaw dropped. "You?"

"Well, you don't have to say it like that. I'm not that hideous… anymore." He let his bangs dropped over his eyes as he looked away crestfallen.

"I..I..I'm sorry. I was just surprised. I mean it could be…" Kenwyn tried to think of a way to warn him that it was not a social occasion.

"Don't worry. I know who I'm going with." He winked at her. He had brightened considerably.

Kenwyn blushed.

"Pick you up at 6?" He gave another lopsided grin.

"Sure." Kenwyn managed to get out.

"Great!" Walter walked away almost with a spring in his step.

What did she just get herself into?

0o0

Claire sat by her father's bedside. She was nodding off a little until...  
" Claire?"  
Clare's head snapped up and her eyes brightened. "Daddy? Daddy? You're awake!"  
Claire got up and went to her father's side. Her father noticed that she was a little guarded. He knew why.  
"Honey, I can explain." he began hoarsely.  
"What that you sold out to a criminal?" she asked tersely.  
Professor Bowman closed his eyes. "It's not like that." He licked his dry lips.  
Claire poured him a cup of water and brought it to his lips. He took a grateful sip.  
"Listen daddy. You're not well right now. We can talk after you feel better."  
"No, Claire I need you to understand," he pleaded.  
"Daddy, I don't think there is anything you can say anything that would make it right," Claire said sadly.  
"Please, Claire, I did it for you." Bowman continued as if he hadn't heard her.  
"How? How is this for me?" Claire's eyes flashed in anger.  
"He threatened your life. If I just sold him the formula then it was win-win. You would be safe and I would have enough to provide for you."  
"What about the people this affects? Was it win-win for them?" She snapped. "How about for the countless lives you ruined? I want to be proud of you, Daddy. I don't need anything and if I was hurt or killed at least I would go knowing that the man who raised me to have integrity had some himself!" Claire wasn't sure when the tears started or when she started shouting. Her father was looking at her aghast. When Claire was done, she turned to run out of the room…straight into Noah. He had come to see Claire but stayed outside when he heard Claire shouting.  
"Hey, you okay?" He asked.  
"Fine, let's go," she muttered without looking at him. She pulled him away from the room. Noah managed a look inside. He saw Professor Bowman with his eyes squeezed shut and tears trailing his pale face.  
Noah heeded Clare's urgent tug. He walked away with her leaving the frail man to his own tortured thoughts.

Claire informed the doctors that her father was awake before leaving and pulling Noah along to the outside of the hospital. She let go of his arm and began pacing aimlessly around the block. Noah didn't say anything as Claire clenched her fists and stomped around back and forth. She muttered under her breath and kicked imaginary obstacles in her way.  
Suddenly she spun around and waved a finger under Noah's nose.  
"And don't tell me I shouldn't feel that way. I know he's my dad but what he did was inexcusable. He had the audacity to try to play it off like I was stupid. Trying to say it was win-win," she was babbling but it was therapeutic. Noah let her talk. He watched as she stalked off again only to come back gesturing wildly and talking to herself. People passing them looked her funny.  
"She's having a bad day," Noah assured them. They looked at them incredulously before departing.  
Finally, she calmed down. She stood with her back to Noah, her shoulders stooped. Noah looked carefully at her. Then he noticed her shoulders shaking.  
"Hey, you okay?"  
She didn't answer. He put a hand on her shoulder. She turned quickly and buried herself into his chest. Noah was startled for a second but then put his arms around her and pulled her close. She sobbed into his chest. Noah just held her until her weeping subsided. Then he just held her as long as she was willing to stay there. For the longest time the only sounds were that of the city: cars passing by, people talking as they walked around them, pigeons cooing.  
"Sorry," Claire broke the silence.  
"For what?"  
"Well, for starters getting your shirt snotty."  
"Ah, it's all right. It's no worse than eating with Bobo on taco night."  
Claire looked at him in disbelief.  
"I mean have you seen him eat? Things go flying everywhere." He faked a shudder.  
Claire's mouth twitched.  
"Hey, I see you trying not to laugh." Noah smirked.  
Claire's mouth twitched even more and she ducked her head.  
Noah gently put a finger under her chin and lifted her face up.  
"It's okay to laugh; it's also okay to be mad. In fact it's okay to be confused. A lot's happened but no matter what he's your dad. He loves you but nobody's perfect and sometimes people disappoint us." Noah winced remembering his own traitorous past. "But we have to give it up because in the end the anger and bitterness ends up hurting us."

Claire nodded. "I know but it's raw right now and I don't know how long it'll take for me to truly forgive him."  
"It'll take time and it'll hurt but I think you both can work it out."  
"Thanks," Claire said as she buried her head back into his chest.  
"I'm always here for you."  
"And that's what I love about you."

It took a second for Noah to register what she had said.  
A shocked look was slowly replaced by the smile that spread across his face and he held her tighter.

"Come on. I have to get ready for the prom." Claire pulled away.

Noah frowned. "Are you sure you're up for it?"

"My dad's awake now. After everything, I just want one night to forget." Claire looked away.

"In that case, I'll see you at 6?" Noah smiled at her.

"I'll be at Annie's. Federico's picking her up at 5. They were going to the beach first." Claire hinted.

"Five it is. I guess I'll give Federico a call." Noah put his arm around her shoulders. "Can I walk you home?"

"I'll take a cab to Annie's. I have to see my dad first." Claire said woefully as she turned back to the hospital.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Noah asked concerned.

Claire shook her head. "No, you should go home and get ready. This is something I have to do by myself."

Noah understood. He hoped he wasn't being too forward as he leaned in and kissed the top of her head. Claire looked surprised but didn't object. In fact, after Noah pulled away, Claire tiptoed and gave Noah a quick peck on the lips.

It was Noah's turn to look surprised. She gave him a shy smile before walking through the hospital door.

Noah held up his hand in a small wave good-bye. When he was sure she was out of sight. He raised both his hands up in the air, threw his head back, and hollered in triumph. The startled people around him jumped back from him.

Noah looked sheepishly at them before sprinting away to go home to get ready for tonight. He felt like he could run forever.

0o0

Federico didn't know what the big deal was. He had heard some people were taking all day to get ready for tonight. He just showered, combed his hair, and put on the tux that Noah had help rent for him. He did remember to buy a corsage for Annie. Apparently, a corsage was a necessity. He would never get use to these American customs. But he was starting to realize that he liked being with Annie. He had no idea what everyone was talking about her being bad luck. Nothing's ever happened to him… well nothing directly. He's seen other people get hurt around her especially Rex.

He heard the doorbell ring.

"Federico," his host mother called up to his room, "the limo's here."

That was another thing. Why do you need a limo every time you went to a dance?

"Coming," he called down.

He walked down the stairs. His host mother smiled at him. "You look so handsome. Don't forget your corsage."

"Gracias, thank you." Federico said politely. He waved to her as he stepped out to the limo.

The chauffer opened the door for him. Federico was fixing his cuffs and didn't notice the smell until he sat in the limo. It was filled with that smell that Rex said was the drug. He tried to open the door but it was locked.

"Hey! Let me out." He pounded on the door. Suddenly, he smelled something else odd. It was knock out gas. He pounded on the window but it was no use. He fell to the floor unconscious. The limo drove to its next destination.

0o0

Kenwyn was nervously fixing her hair. Her usual pony tail was gone. It was now swept to the side and curled. Noah's mom had helped her with it. She didn't know the first thing about hair. She never had time to care. _Why start now?_ She wondered to herself. Well, for one thing a cute boy actually asked her out. _Wait, did she actually think of Walter as cute?_ She gulped and checked her reflection one more time. She was wearing a straight floor length gown made of kente cloth. It was colorful black and orange pattern that was both different and complemented her beautiful bronze skin. The dress was sleeveless and reached around her neck.

Noah had told her she looked great. But what was he suppose to say? He knew that she could take out his knee caps if he said otherwise. Then again Noah's mom had said the same thing. Kenwyn shook her head. She had to get her head in the game if she was going to complete her mission. The door bell rang. She jumped. She chastised herself. She's going to be no good if she was this jumpy already. She took a deep breath.

Noah had left early to go to Annie's to meet up with Claire and Federico. Maybe she should have told Walter to do the same.

"Come on girl! Get a grip. You've faced EVO's you can handle a stupid date." She hissed at her reflection.

"Kenwyn!" Noah's mother called.

Kenwyn ran down the stairs. She stopped and stared. Walter was standing in the middle of the living room holding a red carnation surrounded by baby's breath. His smiled widened when he saw her.

"It's definitely not a blouse but I still like it." He smirked.

Suddenly, Kenwyn was no longer nervous. She smiled back and walked down the rest of the stairs. "You don't look bad yourself."

His bangs was brushed back. He had shaved so his chin was smooth. He wore a gray tux definitely a little different but not ostentatious. He offered her his arm. She looped hers through his. He walked her to the door.

"Oh, wait. I want to get a picture." Noah's mother stood in their way and snapped a couple of pictures. "You look so cute."

"Thank you." Kenwyn felt a sudden affection for Noah's mother. She was so nurturing. Kenwyn did something she wished she could do with her own mother. She pulled her arm from Walter's arm and gave the surprised woman a hug.

"Thank you for everything." She whispered into the woman's ear.

Noah's mom patted her back. "You're welcome my dear. Have fun."

Kenwyn pulled back and smiled. She slipped her arm back into Walter's. They stepped out onto the porch.

Kenwyn stopped short. "That's your ride?"

Walter rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, I spent all my money on the tux and corsage. So this is my usual ride."

Kenwyn looked at the beat up red electric scooter. She saw how embarrassed Walter looked. She smiled.

"Anyone can show in a limo. But very few people can pull off showing up in a scooter."

Walter looked at her gratefully. He handed her a helmet. Kenwyn ignored the fact that it was crushing her hair. Walter sat first. Kenwyn carefully sat side saddle making sure her dress did not catch in the wheel. She gripped the handles on either side of the bike.

"Ready?" Walter asked.

"Ready." Kenwyn gripped tighter. It was a good thing too as the sudden jerk forward almost threw her off. They roared down the street in a cloud of black smoke.

As soon as Noah's mother closed the door, shadows appeared from the bushes and on rooftops. Black pawns. The lead black pawn placed his hand to his ear.

"Make sure they don't reach the hotel," the voice rasped.

The pawn nodded to the rest of the group. They sped after the scooter.

0o0

Beverly paced the living room.

"Sit down. You're making me nervous." Meechum grumbled.

"Maybe I should cancel." Beverly gulped.

The doorbell rang. "Well, you should have thought about that earlier." He looked at Beverly's ashen face. He put a comforting hand on her. "Relax, everything will be fine."

Beverly gave a weak smile. The doorbell rang again.

"Coming, coming, keep your shirt on!" He yelled angrily. Then under his breath he muttered, "I heard you the first time. Darn kids, don't know how to ring a doorbell."

Meechum swung open the door and glared at an uncomfortable looking Chad.

"Hi, I'm here to…"

"I'm well aware why you're here." He continued to glare at the boy.

Beverly almost felt bad for him. "Hi, Chad."

"Wow, you look great. Here. This is you." He held up a pink corsage and pinned it on her.

Chad walked Beverly to the waiting limo.

"Make sure she's home by 1AM! No later or I will hunt you down!" Meechum threatened.

Chad waved carelessly as he followed Beverly into the limo.

Meechum shut the door and sat down to read his scientific magazine.

An hour later he heard noise coming from Beverly's room. Frowning he got up and checked her room.

Sarah was inside.

"Honey, what are you doing? You shouldn't be in here!" He reprimanded his daughter.

"Daddy, I wanted to use her pretty nail polish." Sarah gave her father puppy dog eyes.

"Honey, we don't go into other people's room without their permission. It's not…" He trailed off. He noticed something sticking out of Beverly's folder. It was carelessly tossed on the desk. It lay untouched since school had been canceled but he noticed something was off. Earlier when they were in the room it was in one position. It had definitely shifted.

"Sarah, honey did you touch the folder?" He placed a firm hand on Sarah.

"What? No I was looking for the nail polish. Why would I touch her school stuff?" Sarah wrinkled her nose.

"That's what I was afraid of. Sarah, go get daddy's work bag." Meechum's voice became tight.

"What's wrong daddy?" Sarah asked frightened.

"Maybe nothing, honey, but go!" He yelled the last part. It may have been his imagination but he could have sworn the folder moved.

Meechum grabbed the nearest weapon at hand… a thick wooden clothes hanger.

He edged closer to the folder. Long mechanical legs shot out of the corners of the folder. A thin snakelike neck sprouted from the middle. At the end of the neck a red eye appeared. It shot a red beam at Meechum. He jumped to one side as he swiped it with the wooden hanger. The mechanical folder scampered across the desk. It then crawled onto the side of the wall. If shot at Meechum. Meechum jumped out of the way but banged his shin against the bed.

He sputtered a curse, "I'm getting too darn old for this." He rubbed his leg.

The creepy machine shot again and blasted the hanger out of his hand.

The eye aimed at him again.

Before it could shoot, however, a net wrapped itself around the folder and it fell onto the floor struggling.

Meechum looked over. Sarah had his work bag in one hand and one of Caesar's inventions in another.

"Gotcha!" She blew the tip of the gun.

Meechum got up and snatched his bag from Sarah. He rummaged through before bringing out another fire arm. He approached the moving folder on the floor.

A mechanical voice stated, "Self-destruct in 5 seconds."

Meechum's eyes widened. He grabbed Sarah by the waist and leapt out of the room.

An explosion ripped through the room.

"That was fun!" Sarah proclaimed. Meechum gave his daughter a skeptical look. He went back into the room. There was nothing left of the folder but he had found the leak. He ran through his memory and recalled Chad bringing the folder to his house for Beverly. Chad must have given her the mechanical folder. Anything Beverly knew then they knew. Meechum clenched his jaw. Beverly was in trouble and so is everyone at the prom.

He quickly grabbed his phone and dialed Six's number. He couldn't reach it. He tried every number straight down the list. Nothing. It couldn't be that he can't reach a single person. Something must be blocking their phones. He tried the comlink. Still nothing. Meechum was getting desperate. He looked at his daughter. Did he risk her safety so that he can warn everyone?

Looking into her innocent eyes, he knew what he had to do.

"Get your jacket, honey. We have a prom to go to." Meechum told his daughter.

"Cool! " She dashed off.

Meechum pulled a bottle of aspirin from his pocket and popped two of them straight without water.

"Getting too old." He grumbled as he followed Sarah out the door.


	19. Chapter 19

**I do not own the Gen Rex franchise.**

**Episode 19**

Kenwyn gripped the handles tighter as the scooter turned sharply around the corner.

"Walter, what are you…" Kenwyn asked bewildered as Walter pulled to a stop in between some houses.

"Shhh…" He put his hand over her mouth.

Kenwyn was about to get indignant when from their vantage point they saw black pawns speed pass them.

Walter put his hand down. He whispered in her ear, "I noticed them a few blocks back. Friends of yours?"

Walter's breathe on her ear made her knees weak but now was not the time and place for those feelings.

"They must be here to stop us from going to the prom," she said softly. She pulled her comlink from her purse and activated it. She couldn't reach anyone. Kenwyn frowned. "This always work unless…"

A sound above them made them both look up. A black pawn stood over them.

"Oh crap," Walter muttered. "Hang on!" He kick started his scooter and flew out from the space they were occupying. A few seconds later and the black pawn would have been on top of them.

"Walter!" Kenwyn yelled above the noise of the engine while looking back.

"Don't worry I got this." Walter yelled back. He sped up. The black pawns opened fire. Walter started driving in a zigzag pattern. The scooter tilted dangerously from side to side. Kenwyn tore her dress down the side so that she could have more movement. It also revealed a gun holstered to her leg. She pulled it out. She sat backwards slinging her legs around the scooter.

"You know, that's kinda hot." Walter smirked as he looked at the rear view mirror.

"Eyes on the road, buddy." Kenwyn said blushing. She aimed her gun at one of the black pawns and fired. It fell but another took its place. Kenwyn fired again but this time missed. She cursed under her breath. She fired in rapid succession. Most of the black pawns dodged the fire except for one unlucky one. This was getting no where. She was going to run out of bullets at this rate.

"So what's the plan?" Walter asked loudly.

"Don't die!" Kenwyn yelled.

"Works for me." Walter tilted the scooter to the left to avoid more gunfire.

0o0

Federico groaned. His head felt like it weighed a ton. There was a funny taste in the back of his throat. He tried to think what happened. A sudden bump jolted him and pain exploded throughout his head. Slowly what happened came back to him. His head shot up. That was a bad move as stars exploded before his eyes. He closed them until it subsided. He looked around the dark interior. He was on the floor but not restrained. It was obvious that they thought he would be unconscious longer than this. They didn't know his former stint as a werewolf EVO left some side effects. He lightly sniffed the air. The residual smell of knock out gas was still in the air but it was fading. There was, however, a strong smell of the drugs. Federico kicked himself for not noticing before he entered the limo. They were driving somewhere but where? He heard a phone ring from the front. The limo driver had initially opened the divider to check to make sure Federico was knocked out but had forgotten to close it. Federico heard the man answer.

"Yeah?" The man grunted. "Yeah I got the kid. I'm coming to where you are to deliver the goods." There was a pause. "You worry too much. Just make sure the girl's body is ready to go. Yeah, it'll look like a prom night gone wrong." The evil chuckled sent a cold chill down Federico's spine. So from what he can figure he and someone else would be killed and it would look like an accident. He tried to think who? More importantly how did he get himself out of this? Since he wasn't restrained he felt around his pockets. His cell phone was gone. He panicked for a second but then realized if he was not restrained they probably did not search his pockets. He carefully and noiselessly patted around on the floor. He found it near his foot. He brought it up to his face. He rolled over to his side and turned on his phone. He forgot how bright the screen was in the dark. He quickly hid it under his jacket. He apprehensively looked at the divider. The limo driver had not noticed. He quickly texted a message to Noah.

0o0

Noah waited on the curb for Federico to arrive with the limo. Since he wasn't sure if Claire was going to the prom he had not planned on transportation. He was glad that Federico was gracious enough to offer to share his and Annie's limo with them. But he was 30 minutes late. He checked his watch… make that 45 minutes late. It was almost 6. His phone buzzed and he jumped. He pulled out his cell and turned it on. His eyes widened and he ran to the house. He rang the doorbell. The door flung outward. Noah barely had enough time to get out of the way.

"Oh, it's you. Where's Federico?" Annie frowned.

"Federico's in trouble." Noah showed her the message. Annie's hand flew to her mouth. Her expression then became grim.

"Tell him to sit tight! We're on our way." Annie told Noah as she went back into the house.

"But how are you even going to find him?" Noah asked as he peeked through the door.

She rummaged through the drawers of a side table. Claire walked down the stairs.

"What's going on?" She asked puzzled.

"Someone kidnapped my boyfriend!" Annie exclaimed. "I'm going to get him back! Aha!" She pulled out a strange looking device. It was a moderate sized cone with a strap.

"What's that?" Noah asked nervously.

"Oh, something I was working on with Federico. I was trying to replicate his sensitive smell with this machine. I think I got it working." She said proudly. She walked over to Noah. Claire had come down the stairs and was standing next to him.

"What are you doing?" Noah protested as Annie tried to strap the contraption to his face.

"My head is too small. But it's just right for you. Now hold still." Annie held his head as she tightened the strap. When she was done Noah saw his reflection in the hallway mirror. He looked like a deranged buzzard.

"I look ridiculous! No way am I wearing this." Noah said trying to pull the thing off.

"Noah, please, it may be the only way to save Federico." Claire said looking at him with puppy-dog eyes.

Oh, no. When she did that, all Noah could say was, "What do I have to do?"

0o0

Rex and Circe both laid on the hood of a Providence jeep. They had spent the morning with Calan's men digging through the rubble of the Fell's destroyed base. They found nothing but there was a lot of debris to sort through. But Rex grabbed Circe and they ditched the search early. Without telling anyone they snuck back to town. After dinner at the Burger Shack, they drove out to a quiet part of the neighborhood to look at the sky.

Circe sighed.

Rex turned his head to look at her, "Okay, what's bugging you?"

"Nothing," she said a little dejectedly.

"Come on. I don't know much about girls but I do know that when they say nothing like that it means something." Rex scoffed. "So spill."

Circe chuckled. Maybe there was hope for him after all. "I always wanted to go to a prom."

Rex pushed himself up, "Serious?"

"Yeah. It would be like in the movies where I would walk down the stairs in some beautiful dress and the boy would be all awestruck." Circe said wistfully.

Rex lay back down to look at the sky. They were silent.

Rex swallowed hard, "Well, if it's any consolation, even without a beautiful dress I'm awestruck every time I look at you."

Circe shot a look at him to see if he was making fun of her. But he was not looking at her and it seemed that he was holding his breath. She rolled over to her side and pushed herself up on her elbow. Circe pushed her long hair to one side so that it would not hit Rex in the face. Looking down on Rex who was still avoiding eye contact, she leaned in and kissed him. Circe could feel him stiffen in surprise. Then she felt his hand slide across her neck. She pulled back. They both were panting. She leaned down again. Both their eyes drifted close.

The sound of a scooter and gunfire made them pull apart. As they turned their attention to the street a scooter zip by followed by black pawns. Circe and Rex looked at each other in shock before jumping off the hood. Rex formed his rex ride. Circe started the jeep. Rex raced after the black pawns. He made his BFS and sliced the nearest black pawn in half. He managed to get a couple before they realized what was happening. Some of them turned around and attacked Rex.

"Bring it!" Rex yelled as both his hands grew into smack hands and the bike disappeared in its place was his punk busters. He charged the black pawns.

Meanwhile Circe raced as fast as she could. She swerved her jeep so that it knocked into one of the black pawns. She then mowed down another. She pulled alongside of the jeep.

"Circe?" Walter looked at his friend in surprise.

"Walter? Kenwyn?" She just noticed who the girl in the back of the scooter was.

"You know each other?" Kenwyn asked surprised.

"This is one of my best friends." Walter replied.

"Small world." Circe shrugged. " Let's see if I can't get some of these black pawns off your tail."

"Wait," Kenwyn stopped her, "Let me on the jeep." She slid her leg to one side of the scooter.

"Are you bailing on me?" Walter joked.

"There's a machine gun in every jeep." Kenwyn explained as she grabbed onto the side of the jeep. She swung her legs through the jeep's window. Opening the trap door on the floor of the jeep she pulled out the gun and a magazine clip. She attached the clip to the gun and then opened the roof to the jeep. Arranging the gun on the stand, she opened fire. Black pawns started dropping.

Finally, Circe slowed the jeep down. Walter pulled up to the jeep.

"Really? You were taking your date to the prom on a scooter?" Circe teased him.

"Hey, as long as it gets you there." Walter retorted good-naturedly.

Kenwyn looked at Circe suspiciously. "So how good of friends are you."

Rex pulled up on his rex ride. The bike sounded funny. His motor backfired and the arm of a black pawn shot out from underneath.

"Pardon me." Rex smirked.

"Don't worry. My prince charming is over there." Circe assured Kenwyn.

Rex's builds disappeared and he walked over to the jeep, "Are you talking about me?"

"No," both girls answered at the same time. They looked at each other and burst into giggles.

Rex looked at Walter baffled. Walter shrugged. "Don't look at me. I'm just here for the prom."

"Prom!" Kenwyn exclaimed. "If they went to so much trouble to prevent us from going to the prom…"

"Something must be up." Circe finished.

"Do you think the others are all right?" Rex picked up his cell and dialed Noah's number. He couldn't reach it. He then called Six. He tried his comlink. "Guys, I think we have a problem. I can't reach anyone."

Kenwyn looked at her phone. "Wait, I got a text from Noah."

"Why is texting working?" Walter wondered.

"Because he's doing it over wifi." Kenwyn told him. "Federico's in trouble. He's been taken. Noah, Annie, and Claire have gone after him."

"Great, now what?" Rex complained.

Kenwyn texted Noah. "He says they are headed toward North and Main."

"That's here." Walter pointed at the street sign.

Just as he finished his sentence headlights appeared in the distance. A car with someone's head sticking out the side window bore down on them.

As it got closer, Rex squinted. The car slowed to a stop.

"Noah? Dude, what are you wearing on your face?" Rex stared at his friend.

In a nasally voice, Noah replied, "Don't ask."

Annie stuck her head out. Rex took a step back and tripped over the piece of black pawn. He fell on his backside.

"It's an olfaction enhancer." Annie looked at the group. "We're trying to use it to locate Federico."

"It's a what now?" Rex blinked.

"It helps you smell better." Kenwyn explained.

"Oh, good, because I always thought Noah smelled a little funny especially after three bowls of chili con carne." Rex said.

Everyone looked at Rex. Circe slapped him over the head.

"Oww, what was that for?" Rex rubbed his head.

Noah ignoring Rex tilted his head in several directions. "The scent is coming from there." He pointed down the street.

"You know guys, that's the direction of the hotel where the prom is." Walter stated.

"You sure?" Rex looked at him.

"That's what my GPS says." Walter showed him.

"I don't like this. Something tells me something bad is going down." Kenwyn glowered in the direction of the hotel.

"Beverly!" Circe suddenly looked at everyone. "Beverly's alone there."

Rex formed his rex ride. "What are we waiting for? Let's go get some answers."

0o0

Meechum and Sarah careened down the road to the hotel. Sarah happily bounced around in the back of the car. Meechum gripped his wheel and yelled at other drivers as he swerved in and out of traffic.

"I need a siren," he griped as another driver he cut off yelled obscenities at him. "Sarah, honey, cover your ears."

Sarah covered her ears as she continued to bounce up and down.

Meechum pulled in front of the hotel. The valet came out and cocked an eyebrow at Meechum who was pulling his daughter out of the back seat.

"Would you like me to park your car…sir?" The valet disdainfully looked at Meechum's disheveled appearance and beat up coup.

"Yeah, sure whatever." Meechum tossed the valet his keys and yanked Sarah inside the hotel.

Caesar peeked out the kitchen door at the kids who were there already. He spotted Chad with Beverly. When he saw Beverly, his jaw dropped. His mouth went dry. She looked gorgeous. When Chad put his hand on Beverly's waist to lead her to the dance floor, Caesar was ready to come out and hit Chad with his tray.

"Caesar," the manager snapped. "we need more hors d'oeuvres made now!" Caesar returned to his station.

"Yes sir." He gritted his teeth as he piped more mousse on top of the crackers. When he was done Caesar peeked outside again. Chad and Beverly were gone. Caesar ran outside. He didn't see them anywhere. Meechum and Sarah ran through the doors. He spotted a bewildered looking Caesar. He dragged Sarah who was staring all around her in wonder.

"Caesar, where's Beverly?" He asked trying to talk above the loud driving music.

"I don't know. She and her _date_ were just here." Caesar was still looking around the room.

"Caesar, listen to me." Meechum grabbed Caesar's collar. "Chad is a bad guy. You have to find Beverly, NOW!"

Caesar looked at Meechum. As understanding dawned on him, his face went pale. He pulled from Meechum's grasp.

"Go find Six. He's at the hotel's restaurant." Caesar said as he pulled off his kitchen jacket. He pulled a Geiger counter from his pocket.

"Caesar? Do I want to know?" Meechum looked at Caesar exasperated.

Caesar didn't answer. He pointed the device in several directions then shot out of the doors.

"Come on, honey. This gosh awful music will make you go deaf." Meechum pulled his daughter along.

"What?" She yelled.

0o0

Beverly and Chad arrived at the hotel. Chad showed the person out front the tickets and they were pointed to some elevators that lead them to the hotel's ballroom. The room was decorated nicely in blue and white. The DJ was playing extremely loud music. Kids were already on the dance floor. After the pre-requisite prom photo was taken, Chad led Beverly to the dance floor. Beverly tried to find Kenwyn but didn't see her or Noah. She was starting to get nervous as the night wore on. When people entered the room, she immediately looked but it wasn't anyone she knew. She thought she spotted Caesar peeking from the kitchen doors but she couldn't be sure in the dim lighting.

"Looking for someone?" Chad asked.

"No, not really." Beverly lied.

"Want something to drink?" He asked.

"Sure." She said wanting to get rid of him. As he walked away, Beverly slipped away. If he asked later she would just say she needed to use the ladies' room. She went out and found a quiet corner. She pulled out her phone. She couldn't reach anyone. This was strange. As she stared at her phone a text came through.

_Bev, Federico's been kidnapped. Kenwyn was attacked. Something's going on. Becareful. We are on our way. Lay low._

It was from Circe. Beverly gawked at her phone. The sudden sound of footsteps made her jump. She instinctively pressed herself against the wall.

"Bev? What are you doing out here?" Chad asked.

"Oh, I wanted to use the restrooms." She said.

"They're over there around the back and down the stairs." He smiled pointing in the opposite direction.

"Oh, I didn't know," she mumbled.

"I'll bring you there," he reached to grip her arm.

Alarms went off in Beverly's head as pieces started to fall into place. She pulled away before he could touch her.

"How do you know where the bathrooms are?" Beverly narrowed her eyes at him.

"Huh? Well, I've been here before." Chad said smoothly. But Beverly saw something in his eyes flicker.

"And how did you know I was at the mall for the prom?" She took a few steps backwards.

"Well, everyone's preparing for the prom. I just assumed you were too." Chad's voice started to grow irritated. "What's going on, Bev?"

"I think I'm going to go now. I'm not feeling too well." Beverly started to edge her way to the exit.

"You're not going anywhere." Chad's voice definitely changed.

To Beverly's horror, a dark mist enveloped Chad. It swirled around him. His eyes grew red and his face shifted.

"You're not, Chad." Beverly said stupidly.

"No, how perceptive of you. Let me introduce myself. My name is John Scarecrow."

**Wow, thanks for the many reviews. I really appreciate them. Thank you KakaAnko, memmek10k, X, Kawaii, motherafrica, and other assorted guests. Hope you continue to enjoy this. It's almost over.**

**Side note: I have chaperoned high school dances before and I really think they should have given us cattle prods. Seriously people I want to see two bodies. We are not auditioning for Dirty Dancing 3.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Thanks Iransomeone, X, KakaAnko, and Kawaii for your reviews. I thought I was being clever. How did you guess it was Scarecrow? Cookies for you all. Sorry for the delay on this one. It was my anniversary so I was busy. Anyway, I thought this would be the end but then it got too long so I split it up. Then I don't like uneven chapters so… yeah, I have a few chapters to go. Oh! and thank you queenemily for your support. Sorry, I keep forgetting to mention you.**

**Hey Rainbow Colours, since you don't have an account I can't reach you but thanks for your review on my Generation Next series. I'm glad you liked it. I'm starting a new one which I hope you'll read and enjoy as well. Thanks for being supportive. **

**I do not own Generator Rex.**

**Episode 20**

Federico felt the car pull to a stop. He stiffened in anticipation. He wondered if he could overpower his attackers if they came to get him. Federico heard the driver get out of the car. Another set of footsteps approached the limo. They were now talking. The pair of footsteps now approached the back of the car. He got ready. But to his surprise instead of opening the door, the footsteps walked to the trunk. Federico could hear things being unloaded. They seemed to be taking their time. Federico breathed a sigh of relief and hoped Noah and Annie would find him soon.

At the moment, Noah still with the metal beak strapped to his face, made his way with the rest of the team to the hotel. The valet cocked an eyebrow at the assorted vehicles stopped in front of him.

"Would you like me to park your… scooter?" He asked Walter.

"Sure, don't scratch the paint." Walter said as he gave the man the key. The valet looked at the beat up scooter. He was sure he saw a few bullet holes.

Under his breath the valet muttered, "Scratches might improve it." In a louder voice he was about to address the others when he did a double-take at Noah. His mouth dropped.

Noah pretended not to notice and pointed towards the parking garage. "He's there."

Everyone raced into the garage ignoring the valet's protests.

Rex made his rex ride and got ready to speed down the ramp.

"Wait! I'm coming with you!" Annie jumped onto the bike as it started to move. To regain her balance she grabbed Rex. Unfortunately, as she grabbed him her scarf flew across his face over his eyes.

"Annie, I can't see!" Rex cried as he already started moving full throttle.

"What did you say?" Annie could not hear him.

Rex shook the material off but when he saw the wall coming he wished he hadn't. Quickly he formed his battering ram. He crashed through the wall and pulled to a stop.

"Oops, sorry, my bad." Rex coughed from the dust. He looked behind him at Annie. "You okay?"

Annie was also coughing from the dust. "I'm fine."

They both looked up to see that they had driven through into the hotel's a private garage area. Two men next to a limo were gaping at them. They looked like they were in the middle of unloading boxes.

The door of the limo flung open. It was Federico. He heard Annie's voice.

"I can smell him!" Noah appeared in the newly formed hole in the wall beckoning the others to come over his shoulder. "His scent is coming from…" When he turned around, he saw Federico spilling out of the limo. "Oh, never mind."

"Federico!" Annie yelled. As she was getting off the bike, her dress snagged on the side of the bike dragging Rex to the floor.

"Oww!" Rex cried as he hit the floor. He withdrew his bike. Claire, Walter and Kenwyn finally caught up. They entered through the hole.

"Stop them, you fools!" A disembodied voice rang out.

"Oh this ain't good." Walter groaned as the garage filled with black pawns.

Rex got up and formed his BFS. "Well, boys and girls, let's rumble." He charged the black pawns.

0o0

Six and Holiday were led to their table by the maitre d'. Rebecca kept glancing at Six wondering why he was so nervous. He kept fiddling with his tie and shades. Rebecca picked up her menu. She glanced around her. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She knew that the prom was taking place in the ballroom at the top floor. She wondered how her sister was faring. She knew Caesar was upset that she was with that Chad fellow. She had to give credit to Caesar. Once he realized he had feelings for Beverly he was not shy about acting on them unlike a certain ninja she knew. Speaking of which, she glanced over the menu at him. He was studying his menu like his life depended on it.

When they had walked in, Six had scanned the room quickly for danger. After he was satisfied that there was no immediate threat, he allowed himself to relax a fraction. Now that they were seated his stomach started to twist in a knot. He knew she was watching him. He had to act normal. The problem was he forgot what normal was supposed to be.

The waiter filled their water glasses.

"Would the gentleman and lady like to see our wine list?" He addressed them.

Rebecca was about to politely refuse when to her surprise Six answered, "Just bring us your best Cabernet Sauvignon."

"Very good, sir." The waiter hurried off.

Rebecca raised an eyebrow. "A little fancy for a stake-out, don't you think?"

Six cleared his throat, "Just playing the part."

"Hmm," Rebecca looked at him thoughtfully. Six fought hard not to fidget under her scrutiny.

"What looks good to you?" He asked changing the subject.

Rebecca looked at her menu, "I'm not really hungry. I'll just have a salad."

Six nodded. He wasn't hungry either but he had to order something. The waiter appeared at his elbow with a bottle of red wine. He presented the bottle to Six and Rebecca for approval. Rebecca couldn't tell good from cheap wine so she just politely smiled. Six was more discerning and the waiter squirmed when Six took a long time looking at the label.

Finally, Six nodded his approval and the waiter visibly relaxed. He expertly opened the bottle and poured a little into the glass. Six picked it up, swirled it, and sniffed the dark red liquid. He took a small sip. He put the glass down.

"It'll do." Six said dismissively. The waiter wasn't sure how to take that but poured some more wine into the glasses. He then put the bottle on the table before walking a few feet away to give them privacy.

"This is very fancy, Six." Rebecca commented as she delicately inhaled the wine's aroma before taking a tentative sip.

"Not really." Six hedged. The knot in his stomach was turning into a boulder. He fingered the velvet box in his jacket pocket. It was now or never. He reached his other hand and gripped Rebecca's hand which was on the table. "Rebecca," he began.

"Yes?" Rebecca looked a little surprised.

"I… I have to ask you something very important and I would like an honest answer." He stuttered a little.

"Of course." Rebecca frowned worried.

"Rebecca, will…"

"SIX!" A voice boomed from across the restaurant. Meechum ran in with his daughter in tow.

"Excuse me, sir! You can't be here." The maitre d' ran after Meechum. Several wait staff tried to block his way.

"Hands off. I'm a scientist!" Meechum snarled.

Sarah slipped pass the waiters and ran to Six and Rebecca's table.

"Mr. Six, Beverly disappeared. The leak was her folder. Only it wasn't really a folder but a mechanical spy thingy. Chad gave it to her and he's with her. They disappeared from the prom and Caesar's looking for her." Sarah didn't make a whole lot of sense. Luckily Holiday checked her phone and read the text message Circe sent her.

"Federico's been kidnapped, Kenwyn was attacked, and everything is pointing to the prom. Beverly's probably in trouble." Rebecca pushed back her chair and ran out of the restaurant. Six wanted to face palm but restrained himself. There was a job to do. He got up and shoved the waiters away from Meechum.

"He's with me." Six growled and the waiters all stepped back. Six pulled out some cash and shoved it into one of the waiter's hands before grabbing Meechum and exiting after Rebecca. Sarah sat down at the table and sniffed the glass of wine. She made a face but grabbed a piece of bread. Just as she was putting it in her mouth her father came back and dragged her away.

"But daaad, the bread's still warm." She complained as her father pulled her out of the restaurant.

0o0

Beverly stood rooted to the spot. _RUN_! Her brain screamed at her. But she couldn't move. She watched as the man with the red eyes and sack-like head walked towards her.

"You've caused us no amount of trouble. Because of you we had to step up operations. But on the upside you were a useful source of information."

"What do you mean?" Beverly's legs began to work. She backed away from him. If she was going to go she might as well get some answers.

"I took your folder and then replaced it with our own mechanical spy." He snickered. "You were so gullible and stupid."

Beverly blanched. She was the leak. She had placed everyone in danger. Suddenly, she felt sick… and angry.

"You creep," she spat out. Her brain and body started to function again after the initial shock. Her eyes made a quick sweep of the room. He was blocking the only exit and she was backing into a wall. She spotted something that might even the odds. At least she hoped it would.

Scarecrow saw her eyes move. "No way out sweetheart. You were so fun to mess with. Just like your sister."

Beverly narrowed her eyes. "What about my sister?"

"We've met before." Scarecrow slowly advanced toward her, "You can ask her about me. Oh wait, you can't. You're about to die. But don't worry she'll be joining you soon."

"I don't think so." Beverly lunged for the light switch. The room was plunged into darkness. Beverly darted past the shape-shifter towards the door. She was about to run back to the ballroom when she heard roars and screams coming from inside. No, whatever was going on, the ballroom was no longer safe. But Rebecca and Six were supposed to be downstairs at the hotel's restaurant. She heard footsteps behind her and knew that the elevator would take too long. She ran towards the door to the stairwell. She pushed it open and slammed it shut on the surprised face of Scarecrow. He banged on the door as Beverly grabbed the fire hose that hung on the side wall and tied the door shut. Beverly could see Scarecrows incensed face in the door window. She stuck out her tongue and ran down the stairs.

The door didn't hold long. Beverly heard it shatter when she reached the next landing. She tried to open the door but it was locked. She raced down the next flight and tried that door. It too was locked. In a panic she threw herself down the next set of stairs. She prayed as she pushed the next door. It opened and she fell in. With her foot she slammed the door shut. She grabbed a trash can and wedged it under the door handle. Beverly turned to run and realized she had entered the gym/pool area. It was dark since it was closed. Behind her she heard the door rattle. She ran into one of the side rooms just as she heard the trash can clatter onto the floor. She realized she was in the woman's locker room. Frantically, she looked for a place to hide.

Scarecrow was getting annoyed. Beverly was proving harder to kill than he thought. He saw the door to the women's locker room swing slightly. An evil grin spread across his face as he lightly pushed open the door.

He looked into the darken room. He turned on the lights. It was quiet but he knew she must be in here. He walked past the lockers. "Come out, come out wherever you are." He said in a sing song voice. As he walked down the aisle his hand lightly hit each lock on the lockers making a clacking sound. "You can't hide forever, little Holiday. Why don't you make it easy on yourself? If you come out now, I'll make sure it's quick."

There was silence. Scarecrow's eyes narrowed. Looking for any possible hiding place, he inspected the room. Then he spotted the hotel laundry cart for discarded towels. It was the only place she could be. His mouth twisted into a grotesque smile. He approached the cart. Pulling out his pistol he peered over the edge of the cart. A fire extinguisher shot out from the towels and into his face. He staggered back as Beverly leapt out of the cart and into the next room. Scarecrow recovered quickly and chased after her. He fired a few rounds but the bullets hit the door as it swung close.

When Scarecrow kicked the swinging door open he saw the pool. The room seemed to ripple because of the reflection of the light over the water. It was eerie just the way Scarecrow liked it. "You think you're so smart don't you. Think you're a master detective. Didn't you realize how easily I played you?" Scarecrow's voice changed.

Beverly pushed herself even tighter against the decorative column. She put her hand over her mouth in shock as she heard Principal's Rothberger's voice. Scarecrow was also Rothberger. Beverly searched her memory. She remembered seeing Chad running right before she entered the principal's office. The principal had sounded like he was out of breath. She also couldn't remember seeing Chad and the principal together. She wanted to kick herself. It was Argentina all over again except this time she was on her own. She could feel tears sting her eyes at her failure again. A hand grabbed her shoulder and roughly pulled her from around the column.

"Peek-a-boo." She stared into the barrel of a pistol.

0o0

Since texting over WiFi was working, Six quickly texted Calan the situation. Calan texted back that he was on his way. With that covered, he turned to Meechum.

"I need you to find out if these men are still checked into the hotel and where they are." Six told him as he handed him a list.

"Are you crazy? My daughter's here." Meechum protested.

"Just look it up on their database. Nothing dangerous." Six answered. "We'll be the ones looking for them physically. But if we know they are here then it cuts our search time. I have a feeling rumors of Fell's death have been greatly exaggerated. Text us what you find."

Meechum sighed, "How do you know the message will be secure?"

"I don't but I'm willing to bet that we're so close that they won't be able to react fast enough." With that he and Rebecca went to search the hotel.

"Nothing dangerous, my foot. I'm a doctor, not a spy." He grumbled walking toward the front desk. Before he reached it, however, he realized he had no idea how he was going to get a look at their computer.

"Daddy?" Sarah pulled on his sleeve.

"What is it, honey?" He looked down on her.

She held up a very long USB cable and his mini tablet. "Maybe you can hack into the computer with this?" She looked at him innocently.

He looked at his daughter with both pride and consternation. "You're just like your mother."

Meechum waited until there was only one receptionist working. He then approached the front desk. "Excuse me sir, I'm looking to see if my friend uh… Eileen is here."

"Sure, I can check for you. What's the last name?" The receptionist asked.

"Dover." Meechum said with a straight face.

"Okay, I'll check." The man said not noticing anything.

While her father was distracting the man, Sarah snuck around to the back. She crawled to the computer that was not being used and plugged the wire into the USB port. She carefully pulled the wire underneath the mat in front of the computer and ran it around the corner so that no one could see her.

"I'm sorry sir. I don't see any Eileen Dover on our list."

"It's okay. I think I see her now." Meechum quickly left. He rounded the corner where his daughter handed him the tablet. Pressing a few keys, Meechum accessed the hotel's files. "Sarah, honey, we're in business."

"Does that mean I can be an agent?" Sarah asked hopefully.

"No." He said firmly. Sarah deflated.

0o0

"You won't get away with this." Beverly knew how cliché this sounded but was trying to buy time and since it looked like Scarecrow was a chatty sort of fellow why not use it to her advantage. "They know you're here."

Scarecrow laughed humorlessly, "They don't know jack. You've just been bumbling your way through all this. Anything you may have discovered was a fluke and a mere inconvenience for us."

"How did you know about my sister?" Beverly asked.

"You look so much like your sister that I immediately knew who you were when I first saw you." Scarecrow chuckled running the gun down the side of her face.

"Why did you tell me about the dealer on the corner?" Beverly continued ignoring the cold metal on her face.

"We already knew about Agent Jones and made sure she was kept clueless. But with you we decided to use you to keep Providence busy." The gun was now under her chin.

"But we still managed to intercept your shipments." Beverly countered trying to put on a brave face.

"Yes, mere inconveniences. We just had to change our timetable. This is bigger than you think."

"What do you mean?"

"Fell is going to change the face of war as we know it. Can you imagine having hordes of unstoppable EVO soldiers at your command? Can you see countries paying a fortune to have a means of producing that?"

Beverly shivered. "So why are all the EVO activities here in this town?"

"We have been using this little town as a testing ground to showcase what the drug can do. And investors are very interested."

"So close to Providence?" Beverly asked shocked.

"All the better to showcase how ineffective Providence is in stopping us and the new EVO-lution!" Scarecrow chuckled at his own joke.

"They're all here tonight in the hotel aren't they? You are using the prom to show them what the drug is capable of. Then you are going to sell it to the highest bidder." Beverly guessed.

Scarecrow neither confirmed nor denied her allegations but his voice grew low and menacing. "It's time for me to tie up loose ends." He cocked his pistol.

The sound of something splashing into the pool caught their attention. Scarecrow turned around at the sudden sound. A blue light shot from the middle of the pool and a distorted hologram of a ballerina appeared in the middle of the light. The loud strains of a familiar pop ballad filled the room. Scarecrow tore his eyes away from the strange sight back to Beverly… only there was someone else there too.

"Buenos noches." Caesar pulled Beverly from his grasp and punched Scarecrow in the face. The sudden blow made him stagger back. He lost his balance and fell into the pool. He was immediately electrocuted by the device in the water.

"Caesar!" Beverly jumped into his arms. She couldn't help herself. She began to sob.

"Shhh, it's alright bonita. I'm here." Caesar said comfortingly as he held her tight. "It's over now."

Beverly pulled away. "No, it's not! We have to get to the prom!" She grabbed Caesar's hand and pulled him to the exits.


	21. Chapter 21

**KakaAnko: Thanks for being such a faithful reviewer. I'm glad you like this. The whole Beverly/Caesar is for you. (You too Kawaii.)**

**Iransomeone: Thank you for your well wishes. **

**X: I know I'm torturing poor Six but it was all in the universe's plan. Hehe. **

**Guest: I did enjoy writing it. Some parts were hard. Details are hard to get right especially when you have kids hollering for your attention. **

**I don't know how long I can keep this up but as long as you tell me you're reading I'll keep writing. Hopefully, I'll still have some good ideas left.**

**queenemily: I appreciate you PMing me with your support.**

**I do not own anything.**

**Episode 21**

Rex's smack hands reabsorbed into his body. He looked around at the carnage. Broken black pawns lay on the ground. Kenwyn was handcuffing the limo driver and his accomplice.

"Well, looks like we're done here." Rex said brushing his hands together.

"No, we're not." Circe said looking at her phone. "Guys, Beverly just texted me. She says that we need to get to the prom now. Something is going down."

"Let's go then." Kenwyn got up and straightened her dress.  
They ran to the elevators and got into an open one. Circe looked at the buttons. "Huh, no 13th floor. Some people are so superstitious." She hit the top button.

As they road the elevator to the top floor Rex absent-mindedly pulled out his comlink and turned it on. When they hit the 12th floor there was a burst of static that continued until they hit the 14th floor. When they got to the top floor instead of letting the others out he blocked them and press the 1st floor button. The elevator door slid closed.

"Rex, why…" Kenwyn looked at him in surprised.

"Wait for it." Rex replied.

Everyone looked at each other in confusion.  
As the elevator went down the static grew louder at between the 12 and 14 floor. Rex pushed the stop button.

"What did you do that for?" Noah yelped.

"Did you notice the static here?" Rex looked at them.

"So? Your comlink's been static-y all night." Kenwyn shrugged.

"This is different than the others. My nanites are all tingly." Rex insisted.

"Really, tingly?" Walter looked at his friend.

"Hey, you have your gifts I have mine." Rex retorted. Rex started to pry open the door.

"What are you doing?" Circe looked at him in disbelief.

"Playing a hunch." Rex grunted as he pulled the doors apart. When the doors were forced opened it revealed a secret floor.

"What'd I tell you?" Rex asked triumphantly.

"Okay, you were right this time." Noah said begrudgingly.

"Everytime." Rex answered confidently. He started to walk out.

"Wait, what about Beverly?" Circe asked putting a hand on his arm.

Rex thought a moment. "Okay, Circe and I will check this out. Kenwyn and Noah go meet Beverly at the prom."

"What about the rest of us?" Claire asked with her hands on her hips.

Rex shook his head. "Too dangerous you guys better go wait downstairs."

"No way." Claire said firmly. "We stick together no matter what. We've been through worse."

"Yeah," Annie agreed. "Besides no one kidnaps my boyfriend and gets away with it."

"I'm your boyfriend?" Federico asked shyly.

"I… I... I guess if you don't mind," Annie blushed.

"As long as you don't mind being my girlfriend," he smiled. She smiled back.

"Ugh, we're so heroic it's sickening." Walter said sarcastically. "Well, come on people let's go then. This day isn't going to save itself."

Rex grinned and waved as the elevator door shut. "Ready?" He asked Circe.

"Of course," she scoffed.

He smiled at her and kissed the side if her head.

"Well than chica, let's go." Rex formed his smack hands.

0o0

Kenwyn and the others arrived at the top floor again.

"The ballroom's this way." Noah pointed to the sign.

"Where is everyone?" Annie wondered.

"I smell the N-juice." Federico gagged. "It's everywhere."

"Not good." Walter groaned.

As they ran to the ballroom they ran into Caesar and Beverly. Caesar and Beverly were trying to hold the double doors of the ballroom shut. Some claws and tentacles were peeking through the cracks.

"We have to keep them from leaving the ballroom!" Beverly said when she saw them.

"What happened?" Claire gasped as the door began buckling.

"The kids at the prom have all gone EVO." Caesar strained against the doors. "Can I get a little help?"

Noah and Federico ran and pressed their weight against the bursting doors. Kenwyn knew it was futile.

"Does Agent Six know about this?" She asked. But before anyone could answer her, the door burst open and the EVO's stormed out.

"Oh great, now we're going to die." Walter complained getting up from the floor.

"Hey, I usually say stuff like that." Noah grumbled backing away from the hordes.

"Guys, help me." Kenwyn grabbed the large folding table and turned it on its side. The others catching what she was up to stood behind it. They all rushed the door shoving the monsters back into the room. Kenwyn then nimbly jumped on the edge of the table, back flipped over the EVO's heads, and into the ballroom. The EVO's chased after her clearing out of the doorway.

"She's so hot." Walter sighed.

"Come on, we need to help her." Caesar leapt over the makeshift barricade pulling out a odd looking firearm from his boot. He turned around and looked at Beverly. "Stay here."

Beverly didn't like being told to stay behind but knew she wasn't trained to handle this. She nodded.

Noah jumped after Caesar but several roars made Noah look back. Three EVOs had escaped to the foyer. Noah was about to go back but Claire stopped him.

"Annie, Federico, and I can take care of this. Take Walter and help Kenwyn." Claire shouted.

"Hey, what am I chopped liver?" Beverly asked indignantly.

"Oh, sorry. And Beverly." Claire amended.

Noah hesitated for a second.

Walter grabbed him, "Come on lover boy. Your girlfriend's got this."

Noah gave one more worried look before running into the ballroom.

0o0

Six had instructed Meechum to get information. Instead of going upstairs to the prom, Six was waiting for his message. After 20 minutes of pacing, Rebecca couldn't wait anymore.

"We have to find Beverly." Rebecca said impatiently.

Six was looking at his phone. "No, wait Meechum says that a Dr. Cayo rented out the private floor of the hotel. The men in question are all there."

"And?" Holiday asked impatiently.

"Cayo is Fell in Spanish. I'm willing to bet he's there directing all this chaos. If we stop them we stop this nightmare." Six said reasonably.

"But what about Beverly?" Holiday's eyes narrowed.

"We can best help her if we stop Fell." Six insisted.

Holiday scowled at him. Six held his ground. Holiday shut her eyes and rubbed her temples. She felt his hand on her arms. She refused to look at him.

"Rebecca, you know this is the only way to stop this." Six said gently. "Trust me?"

Rebecca trembled. She wanted to go to her sister right now… to keep her safe. But she knew Six was right. With her eyes still squeezed shut, she nodded slightly.

"That's my girl." Six said kissing the top of her head.

"But as soon as we stop Fell we have to find Beverly."

"Of course." Six agreed. He hoped in his heart of hearts that Beverly was safe because if anything happened to her he knew Rebecca would never forgive him… and his chances of her ever being with him would be zilch. But that wasn't something he could afford to dwell on. He just better be right.

"So how are we going to get to this private floor?" Rebecca finally looked at him.

"We need to get the key to the private elevator." Six said.

"How?" Holiday inquired.

"Subtly." Six answer striding to the nearest employee. He unsheathed one of his blades from his sleeves. He slammed the man against the wall holding him by his throat. He held the blade to his face. "Give me the key to the private elevator," he said flatly.

The shaken man handed Six his set of keys. "I..i..i..it's t… t… this one." He pointed to the smaller of the set.

"Where's the private elevator located?" Six lifted him slightly.

"Down around the back of the stairs," the man choked out.

"Thank you," Six said taking the keys and putting the terrified man down. He quickly scrambled away.

"Subtly, huh?" Rebecca couldn't help but smirk.

Six shrugged. "No one died." He walked to the elevator.

0o0

Rex peeked around the corner. Two behemoths guarded the doors.

"Do you think he's in there?" Circe whispered behind him.

"Does Bobo have a hygiene problem?" Rex asked rhetorically, "But first we have to take out the muscles at the door."

"Oh, why didn't you say so?" Circe stepped out from around the corner.

"Hello boys, time for a little nap." Circe grinned as the two snarling guards advanced on her.

Inside the room, a group of men seated at a conference table leafed through some files. Fell sat at the head. Suddenly there were two shrieks from the outside door. Two bodies were heard hitting the floor. A giant robotic foot burst through the door.

The men stood up in alarm.

"Go in!"

"I can't my foot's stuck."

"Well, retract it, duh!"

"I knew that."

The orange robotic foot turned back into a smaller black boot. Rex and Circe ducked into the hole.

"Rex, that must be what's blocking our communications." Circe pointed to machine with a satellite dish sticking out the window.

"Ah, Mr. Salazar. We have been expecting you." Fell smirked.

"Yeah, well, I hope you expected to get your butt kicked too." Rex started towards the doctor.

"I wouldn't come any closer." The doctor smiled.

"And why not?" Rex growled.

"Uh, Rex?" Circe grabbed Rex's arm and pointed to the lasers pointing at them from the ceiling.

"Unless you want to be nothing more than ashes I would stay right where you are." Fell said lazily. He turned his chair around to face the screen. He hit the remote. The screen flickered on. Rex and Circe gawked at the screen. Their friends were facing numerous EVOs with little or no weapons.

Caesar was shooting his modified nanite paralyzer but there were too many of them and the paralyzer needed time to recharge after being discharged so many times. Caesar was forced behind some over turned tables as he waited for the firearm to recharge.

Kenwyn ,Walter, and Noah were trying to keep the EVOs inside the ballroom. Walter had pulled the decorative curtains down and was using it like a matador's cape, baiting some of the EVO's away from the door. Kenwyn was flinging the plates at others to get them away from the door. Noah was riding one like a bucking bronco leading it to run into other EVO's knocking them out until the EVO threw him off. He went flying into the DJ booth. The screen flashed to the outside where there were three EVOs that had escaped. Annie, Claire, Beverly, and Federico were valiantly trying to keep them from escaping down the stairs.

"As you can see Rex, your friends are not fairing well against my EVO army." Fell said as he turned back to face Rex and Circe. The light reflecting off his glasses hid his eyes as a cruel smile graced his lips.

"Call them off Fell!" Rex said angrily.

"Now, Rex how else is a scientist supposed to make a living after you got me fired from Providence. Then you killed my last employer. But luckily I had access to all her resources." Fell said. "Then I realized why can't I work for myself? I'm a brilliant scientist. I don't need anyone else. I can use my creations to benefit me."

"Come on Fell. There has to be a better way." Circe tried to reason with him.

"Ah, and gentlemen, may I introduce you to Circe. She is the one of the first formerly cured EVOs who we restored back to her previous powers using my drug research." All the men turned and stared at her curiously.

"You tricked me into taking it Fell!" Circe said embarrassed by the incident.

" Perhaps a demonstration is due." Fell ignored her as he pressed a button. One of the lasers lowered and fired at Circe. Circe leapt out of the way and using her sonic blast to disable it.

The men around the room clapped.

"I'm not here to entertain you!" Circe glared at the men.

"Not entertain. Demonstrate." Fell corrected. "The other subject you may remember is my associate John Scarecrow who had his EVO powers fully restored."

"Scarecrow!" Rex said startled. "That explains a lot. He must have been the one impersonating the principal." He remembered Rothberger mentioning about his doppelganger.

"A little slow but accurate." Fell nodded. "Now for the rest of the demonstration."

A trap door opened from the floor and two EVOs appeared. One looked like a gorilla with tree bark skin. The other looked like a green upright lobster.

"These were some _associates_ of mine who agreed to the transformation." Fell laced his fingers together and sat back. A glass sheet lowered to separate the investors from the EVOs and the Providence agents.

Rex formed his castor blaster. He swung his whip but the gorilla was fast. It darted out of the way and lunged for Rex. He collided with him and knocked him into the wall breaking through to the other side. Circe eyed the lobster. It tried to cut her in half with its claws. Circe back flipped away and let out a sonic blast. The lobster went horizontal and began scurrying across the floor. It used its claws to try to slice Circe.

"As you can see gentlemen, our EVOs can be sentient if they use the original drug and I'm sure for the right price many will agree to the process. Or we can create mindless rampaging ones that destroy everyone and thing in sight using the newer drug." At the last part Fell gestured to the screen showing the prom.

A general murmur went throughout the table. The men discussed the endless possibilities.

"I bid 2 million." A voice went up.

"2.5!"

"3!"

Fell smiled as he watched the bidding war begin.

0o0

Six and Holiday rode the private elevator up to the secret floor. When the elevator doors opened they were greeted by the sight of Rex fending off a gorilla. Circe jumped through the hole in the door. A lobster smashed any remaining door to pieces following after her.

"Circe! Rex!" Six unsheathed his magna blades and charged into battle.

Rex, who had his block party up, fending off the gorilla's blows turn back quickly before returning his attention to the fight. "About time you got here." Rex grumbled. He made his punk busters and kicked the gorilla _where the sun don't shine_. It doubled over in pain. "Six, Fell's in there with people bidding for his drugs."

Six hesitated a moment looking at the lobster and gorilla.

"Don't worry. We got this covered." Circe let out another blast and the lobster creature flew against the wall. Six didn't need to be told twice. He raced in with swords drawn.

"Fell!" He bellowed at the rogue scientist.

"Ah, Agent Six. A pleasure to see you again. I'm sure you were equally as happy to see one of your old compatriots. What was his name? Something like a number… ah yes, Dos." Fell smirked.

"You gave him the drug! You turned him into a monster." Six slashed the glass with his magna blade. The blades merely scratched the glass.

"Special gorilla glass. Strong enough to withstand your pitiful swords." Fell said dismissively. "And your friend wanted the means to exact his revenge. So I technically didn't turn him into a monster, as you put it. He chose to forgo his humanity for a chance to kill you. You never did find a body did you, Agent Six."

Six didn't answer; he continued to slash at the glass.

Holiday meanwhile pulled a tranquilizer gun from her purse. She shot the gorilla who had Rex pinned to the floor. The EVO dropped immediately. She tried to shoot the lobster but the dart bounced off its hard shell. Rex made his blaster castor and wrapped his whip around the lobster's claw. He sent volts of electricity into the shellfish EVO. It too collapsed. Together they ran inside to see Six merely scratching the glass.

"Give it up, Agent Six. Even your blades can't cut through this glass." Fell said.

"I'm not trying to cut it, "Six glared at him. "I'm trying to shatter it!" With one last slash he turned to Rex, "Rex blast it!"

Rex formed his slam cannon. He grabbed a chunk off the floor and shot at the scratches. The glass cracked on impact but hadn't broken all the way through.

The frightened business men got up and began leaving through the emergency exit.

Fell sat unmoving and unconcerned.

"Circe!" Agent Six ordered.

Circe blasted the crack with her sonic scream. The glass completely shattered.

Six, Rex, and Circe charged through the hole. Fell held up his hand and gestured to the screen.

"You can try and come after me or you can rescue your friends. "

Holiday gasped. "Beverly!" On the screen she was being crushed by a tentacle. Fell threw his head back and laughed. Suddenly, he dropped out of sight. Rex and Circe ran over.

"How many trap doors are in this place?" He cried.

Circe didn't answer. She had a clear shot at the communications jamming device. With one blast she destroyed it. All their comlink sprung to life.

"Ahh, it's got me!"

"I can't stop it!"

"Walter, look out!"

The voices of their friends frantically fighting the EVOs made them pause.

"Six, they need help." Holiday cried.

Six didn't answer; he turned around and shot out of the room. Holiday followed closely after. Rex and Circe came next. To their surprise Six did not head to the elevator. Instead he shattered the window. He pulled a grappling hook gun from inside his jacket. He shot upwards. He made sure the line was secure and grabbed Holiday. They shot up to the top floor.

Rex formed his sky slyder. Circe got on behind him and they flew up to the top floor.

0o0

Beverly was starting to lose consciousness. The EVO's tentacle was squeezing all the air from her lungs. Claire was trying to get it to let go by whacking it with a pole. Federico and Annie were trying to fight off the other two EVOs. Federico had his jacket wrapped around the head of one EVO. He held it on as the EVO tried to shake it and him off. Annie touched the water fountain and it fell apart. The gushing water was spraying the EVO who was trying to keep it off its face.

Just when things look bleak, Six crashed through the window with Holiday. He let go of Holiday and charged the EVO. The EVO using its other tentacles knocked Six back. Six flipped and slid to a stop on his feet. He charged again. Rex flew in with Circe.

"Rex! Go help Kenwyn inside!" Six ordered. "I'll take care of this."

Rex and Circe jumped the table to get into the ballroom.

Holiday took out her tranquilizer gun and shot the EVO holding Beverly. The EVO roared before its hold on Beverly loosened. Beverly fell to the floor. Six grabbed her before she hit the ground. Holiday ran to take a look at her sister. Six gently placed Beverly's limp body into her arms. He nodded at her. She nodded back and carried her sister to a safe place. Six turned his attention to the two EVOs. With two well aimed kicks the EVO Federico was fighting with was knocked out. He turned to Annie's EVO. He raised an eyebrow. It looked like it had given up. It was on the ground being doused by water. He folded up his blades. A roar from the ballroom caught his attention. He entered the ballroom. At the sight of the chaos his blades came out.

Time to finish this.


	22. Chapter 22

**Sorry this one took so long. It's the last chapter and I wanted to make it good. But I also wanted to finish it before I start work tomorrow. Hope it's a good ending. Please read the A/N at the end.**

**I do not own anything.**

**Episode 22**

Six bolted into the ballroom with blades drawn. Noah was fending off a blue bear-like EVO with a pole from the DJ booth. Caesar was using his gun sparingly. He ran from behind table to table shooting only when he had a clear shot. Kenwyn had run out of plates. She was improvising with the cutlery. She had a bird EVO pinned to the wall with some steak knives. Circe was blasting EVOs away from Walter whose curtain lay in tatters. Rex was trying to cure as many EVOs as he could but there were too many of them. In less than a fraction of a second, Six had taken this all in. They definitely looked like they could use some help. Six attacked the nearest EVO slashing it and then kicking it in one of its many heads. A cactus EVO shot spines at him which he deflected with his blades back at it. The cactus EVO fell. Six did a split kick knocking over an insect EVO and a multi-armed EVO. He kicked, slashed, and punched his way over to Rex.

"How are you holding up?" He asked flatly as he cut a branch off of a tree-EVO.

"Ugh, there's too many of them. I think I'm starting to overload." Rex said as he placed his hand on another EVO curing it.

"Hang in there. Help should be on the way." Six hoped it was true. He had contacted Calan hours ago. Where was he?

0o0

Calan immediately mobilized Providence's forces as soon as he received Six's text. As the vehicles rolled out of the hanger, the moon was high in the cloudless sky. They only made it about halfway through the desert when they saw a cloud of dust in the distance heading their way.

"Now what?" Calan groaned. With darkness surrounding them he knew they were at a disadvantage. He took out his night binoculars and scanned the horizon. He focused on the cloud of dust. They could feel the ground trembling. Calan magnified the binoculars. He could barely make out the lead creature… a scorthius. A whole multitude of them was heading straight for them. Calan cursed under his breath.

"In coming scorthius! Heads up. Move the tanks to protect the left flank." Calan ordered.

"Tuck, Cricket!"

"Yes Sir!" Tuck answered.

"You and Cricket take the jeep. Get Wade and Beasly to go with you. We're going to blast an opening through the scorthius so you can get through. Go help Six." Calan barked.

"What about you?" Cricket asked worriedly.

"We'll take care of these critters and then join you." Calan assured her. "Now go!"

Cricket and Tuck quickly scrambled to get their fellow soldiers and into the vehicle.

"Ready?" Tuck asked everyone. The others grimly nodded. "Then let's do this." Tuck hit the gas and they flew at the dust storm.

"Concentrate all fire down the middle of that dust cloud." Calan shouted. The cannons on the tank warmed up and the foot soldiers all aimed their hand cannons at the scorthius. For a split second there was silence.

"Now!" Calan yelled.

The Providence soldiers let a barrage of missiles and cannon fire through the scorthius. The scorpion EVOs were blasted left and right clearing a path for the jeep. The versatile transport was able to maneuver away from the stingers and avoid the snapping maws of the EVOS. It swerved through the path cleared by Calan. Wade and Beasly opened fire with their firearm at any scorthius that came too close. After several close calls they made it through the swarm.

"Come on. Let's go help Agent Six." Tuck said as the others looked back at the large number of scorthius still left. "They'll be okay." Tuck said more to reassure himself than the others.

0o0

After making sure Beverly was safe, Holiday ran into the ballroom shooting at some of the EVOs. She was able to get some but the darts bounced off those with hard exteriors. She worked her way toward Six until they stood back to back.

"Rebecca, there's something I have to ask you." Six said deflecting some of the EVOs' claws.

"Yes?" Rebecca asked firing her tranquilizer gun.

Six slashed at the EVO and knocked it out. He turned to Rebecca, "Will you…" Annie ran into the room.

"It's up!" She yelled. Before Six could figure out what that meant the EVO that was being doused by water broke into the room. The EVO let out a deafening roar. Noah, Federico, and Walter tackled it but it threw them off like they were rag dolls. It roared again.

"That's it." Six said frustrated. He pulled the velvet box from his pocket and shoved it into a stunned Holiday's hands. She looked at the box and then at Six who was now attacking the EVO with severe prejudice.

Rebecca frowned. She carefully opened the box. Inside sat a platinum ring with a princess cut diamond in a tiffany setting. Green accent emeralds lay on either side of the band. For a second Rebecca couldn't understand why Six was giving this to her.

Beverly limped in and saw Rebecca with the box. Beverly was all smiles despite the fight that was raging around them. Then it hit Rebecca what this ring meant. Her mouth dropped opened. Again her eyes flew to Six then to Beverly to confirm. When the sisters' eyes met, Beverly nodded. It was true.

Six was asking her to marry him. She suddenly needed to sit down. Beverly saw that her sister's knees were beginning to buckle and grabbed a chair. An EVO got in her way. Beverly folded the chair and smacked it over the side of its head knocking it down. She opened it up in time for Rebecca to collapse in it.

"Does this…? Is this a…? He wants to…" Rebecca couldn't quite get it out.

"Yes!" Beverly squealed. Rebecca stared at the box again while raising her gun and shooting an EVO that was charging them. The EVO keeled over a few feet away from them. Rebecca continued to stare at the ring oblivious of the goings on around her.

Meanwhile Six was venting all his frustration on the stupid EVO who dared interrupt him… again. He pummeled it until it wished it had stayed down.

"Wow, Six. A little harsh don't you think?" Rex asked as he came over and put his hand on the EVO.

"No." Six said flatly.

An EVO tackled Six. Six was on his back holding the EVO's head back from biting his own head off. Six managed to get one leg under the monster and pushed it back. He rolled over quickly and got up. He crossed his blades blocking the claws of the monster. While Six was occupied by the EVO in front of him another was approaching from behind him.

Just when the EVO was about to attack from behind him, it was blown back. Six glanced over. It was Cricket. Tuck, Wade and Beasly rushed in. They had weapons with them. They tossed some blasters to Walter, Federico, Claire, Annie, Kenwyn, and Noah. They began firing on the EVOs. Finally, all the EVOs were incapacitated.

Wade and Beasly began securing the fallen EVOs.

Walter tossed his blaster on the floor and looked around him, "Well, they're not getting the deposit back on the room."

"Is everyone okay?" Tuck asked.

"Yeah, we're fine." Kenwyn stated.

"Speak for yourself." Noah limped over. "I think I broke a rib."

Claire was on the other side of the room and didn't hear him. She ran over and gave him a hug.

"Oww, oww,oww." Noah winced.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Where does it hurt?" Claire held Noah's head gingerly and brought his face close to hers.

"Er… um… ahh…" Noah found that he lost the ability to speak staring into Claire's eyes.

"That's how I feel." Rex grumbled pulling himself off the ground with Circe's help.

"Where's Captain Calan?" Kenwyn asked.

Tuck quickly explained about the scorthius attack.

"Fell must have fed his drug to scorpions." Circe said angrily.

"Probably," Wade agreed from the floor as she secured another EVO.

"Wait, we can contact them. Our comlinks work now." Circe put her finger to her ear.

"Captain Calan? Can you hear me?"

There was nothing but static.

"Captain Calan, come in!" Kenwyn tried too.

"Do you think they're okay?" Cricket asked worried now.

"Captain Calan here," their comlinks all crackled to life.

"Oh, captain, it's good to hear your voice." Kenwyn said relieved.

"You have no idea." Calan said dryly,"We're approaching your position now. We should be there in… now."

Providence agents repelled through the windows in the ballroom. Bright lights flooded through the broken windows. They had their weapons drawn and aimed at the group.

"Yeah, no, they definitely won't be getting their deposit back." Walter said understatedly.

"A little late … again." Circe snipped.

Calan walked in through the remains of the ballroom door. "We were detained."

"We heard. How bad?" Six asked sheathing his blades.

"Well we lost most of the tanks and half the force was injured but luckily no casualties." Calan reported.

"Really? That's amazing!" Beasly said allowing the other agents to haul off the EVOs.

"Well, we had a little help." Calan admitted.

"A little? How about I saved your bacon!" Bobo walked in.

"How did you manage that?" Rex eyed his sidekick suspiciously.

"I have no idea why you didn't take it in the first place." Bobo scoffed as he picked up an uneaten hors d'oeuvres from a table that hadn't been upended. "I took the Keep. Fired the cannon at them. Bada bing bada boom all gone."

"You flew the Keep? How do you even have access to it?" Six frowned at the simian.

"I have my ways." Bobo sniffed as he reached for a glass.

"Don't drink the punch." Federico warned the chimp. "It reeks of the drug."

"So that's how the kids became EVOs." Everyone jumped when they heard Caesar speak. He was so quiet that they had forgotten he was there. Caesar immediately pulled a vial from his inner pockets and scooped some of the liquid into it for further study.

"Wow, talk about spiking the drink." Annie commented. She leaned on the table and it flipped over. The empty glass at the end flew and hit Rex in the face.

"You know, I might have been safer with the EVOs." Rex muttered rubbing the lump that was now growing on his forehead.

"Ohh, I'm so sorry. Let me help you…" Annie moved toward Rex.

"NO!" Everyone shouted. Annie stopped but looked a little hurt.

"It's okay. I'll be okay. Just stay where you are." Rex clarified as he slowly backed away from her gripping Circe in front of him like a human shield. Circe rolled her eyes.

Federico put his arm around the crestfallen blonde girl. "You can help me. I think I have an injury here." He slyly pointed to the side of his face.

Blushing Annie leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"I feel better now." He grinned also blushing.

"Hey, how come that pick-up line worked for him?" Rex asked.

"Because he's sincere." Circe explained.

"And once you learn to fake that, you've got it made." Bobo smirked while popping another hors d'oeuvres into his mouth.

Everyone looked at Bobo exasperated.

"The night's not over." Six interrupted. "Fell and his investors are still at large."

"Oh, you have to fish Scarecrow out of the pool." Beverly added. "We left him there after Caesar punched him out."

Rex looked at his brother, "You punched out Scarecrow? Way to go, bro!" He held up his hand for a high five. His brother just looked at him. "Come on, bro. Don't leave me hanging."

Circe sighed and pulled Rex's hand down.

"Actually, we've already searched the whole hotel. There was no one in the pool." Calan said seriously.

"You mean he's escaped?" Beverly gasped and involuntarily moved closer to Caesar who instinctively pulled her into a protective hug.

"Looks like it." Calan tiredly rubbed his eyes. "But on the up side we've managed to nab a few of the men on the list. We're holding them for questioning."

"Good. Maybe we can get an idea where Fell went." Six approved. He was about to say something else when a body threw itself into his arms. He actually staggered momentarily but quickly regained his footing. His arms wrapped around the figure.

"Holiday?" He looked blankly at her.

"Yes!" She said excitedly.

"Yes?" Six still looked confused.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Holiday was smiling with tears in her eyes. She held up her left hand. The ring shone even in the dim light of the room.

It suddenly dawned on Six what Rebecca was saying.

"You'll marry me?" He asked tentatively.

"Yes, I'll marry you." She enunciated slowly so he could understand.

"Oh, "was all that Six could think of to say.

Rebecca threw her head back and laughed before smothering him with a kiss. Surprisingly, Six kissed her back. Everyone clapped, smiled, and patted each other on the back. Then a few more minutes passed and they were still kissing. People began to awkwardly look away and tried to look busy. The Providence soldiers began carting the EVOs away. The team shuffled uncomfortably and looked away.

Finally Calan spoke up, "Okay people, we have to clean up here. We still got work to do. Nothing to see here. " He shooed Rex, Circe, Noah, Claire, Walter, Kenwyn, Federico, Annie, Caesar, and Beverly from the room. "Go home." He ordered.

When they left the room, Meechum met them outside carrying a sleeping Sarah in his arms.

"Well, anyone dead?" He asked gruffly.

Beverly smiled knowing that the tough talk was just an act. She walked over and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you." She said simply.

Meechum looked uncomfortable. "Well, as long as no one's dead. Anyway, gotta get home. She's tired." He shifted her weight and turned to go.

"I think we all should get home like the captain said." Noah yawned. "Almost getting killed, tires me out."

"Now whose stealing lines?" Walter smirked. Noah smirked back.

"Well, it is prom night. And it's almost morning. Maybe we should head to the beach to watch the sunrise." Claire suggested. Everyone looked at each other.

"Sure, why not." Noah said suddenly gaining energy.

The teens laughed and walked towards the elevator.

0o0

The teens sat at the beach watching the sun rise. Kenwyn had built a fire to keep off the chill night air. They talked all night. Rex heard for the first time Noah's plans for next year. He was trying to decide whether to stay home or go away for college. He hadn't told Rex because he didn't want his friend to worry or maybe more accurately he didn't want Rex to influence his decision.

"So what did you decide?" Rex asked trying not to sound like he cared.

"I think I'm going to stay. You wouldn't last a day without me." Noah smirked.

Rex was relieved but he wasn't about to show it. "Pfft, you mean you can't live without my charm and wit."

"Whatever," Noah laughed. "Besides Claire decided she's going to stay here."

Claire nodded, "I think I need to reestablish my relationship with my dad." Her voice wavered and Noah placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She smiled gratefully at him.

"Hmph, sounds like that's the real reason you're staying." Walter noted.

"Hey, what are your plans Walter?" Rex asked looking at the former EVO.

Walter shrugged. "Well, actually I'm back because one of my art projects was chosen for the park. It's going to be unveiled next week. With all the excitement I didn't get a chance to tell anyone… except Circe."

"And I didn't want to step on your moment." Circe added.

"Nah, you wouldn't have ruined it but thanks for letting me tell it." Walter grinned at her.

After a round of congratulations, Walter invited them to come see the ceremony.

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised." Walter said mysteriously. He then looked at Kenwyn. "I hope you can come."

"I… I… have to ask Captain Calan." Kenwyn stammered.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll let you go." Rex winked at her. Kenwyn turned away blushing.

A few days ago Circe would have been upset by this exchange but she found herself more relaxed around Rex and Kenwyn. Things were changing.

"Ohh, ohh Federico's officially joined the New York Red Bulls. He's going to be moving to New York at the end of the month." Annie announced excitedly.

Another round of congratulations began for Federico who blushed at the attention.

"So I guess that means you're going to NYU?" Claire asked her friend.

"Yeah, I already put in my acceptance. I'm going to miss you." Annie told her friend.

"I'll miss you too." Claire said getting choked up.

"It's not like she's dead. You can still call." Rex muttered.

Circe smacked him in the shoulder.

"What?" Rex asked.

"Trying to keep your foot out of your mouth." Circe snapped.

Beverly felt out of place listening to the talks about the future. She got up and walked to the cars. Caesar noticed and got up to follow her.

Beverly leaned against the jeep door.

"Something wrong?" Caesar asked as he approached her.

"No, not really." Beverly shrugged.

" Worried about Scarecrow?" Caesar continued.

"No," Beverly sighed.

Caesar wished he had the ability to converse easily. But he didn't so he had to do what he did best. He pulled out another spherical object.

Beverly looked at it curiously. Caesar pressed the sides. A blue beam emitted from the center. Instead of a ballerina it was the model of the universe. Stars, planets, and comets twirled around. A soft piano melody played in the background.

Beverly's eyes widened. "Oh Caesar, it's beautiful."

Caesar put the device on the hood of the car. He made a slight bow.

"I never got to have a dance with you." He said holding out his hand.

Beverly smiled shyly, "Actually, I was saving the last one for you." She gripped his hand and he pulled her close. They slowly rocked back and forth to the music. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment before Beverly put her head on his chest.

Circe nudged Rex. He turned and looked. He and Circe shared a look. They leaned in and kissed. They pulled away and smiled at each other.

So maybe Fell and Scarecrow got away. There'll be another day. Their drug ring was officially broken and they have shown that they can take on whatever life throws at them because they were a team.

**Wow, what a ride. Hope you enjoyed this. Like I said, this did not turn out as I plan. But I guess it works out for you. I now have one more season to go because I didn't get to the second story arc in my plan. Unfortunately, it won't be written until next summer and most likely it will be the last season for me. I think I have run out of ideas. So in the interim I have several ideas in the works. I said last year that work keeps me busy but I still managed to write 14 stories. So if you are lucky maybe I can get in a few stories this year as well. But I have no idea what's going to happen in school this year. All I know is that this year it will be more difficult than last because of the new Common Core Curriculum in math. I hate exploratory math (Just memorize the multiplication table darn it!). Sorry ranting. Plus my son is starting junior high. (Auugghh! When did my baby grow up?) So he will be in a different school than my daughter. Transporting them will be a logistical nightmare.**

**Sorry, ranting again.**

**Anyway, thank you to all my readers. I would like to thank, in no particular order, X, KakaAnko, memmek10k, Kawaii, motherafrica, Aaa, S, Girl, Lavz, Sup, Dimmension Traveler, Rainbow Colours, Unknown, queenemily, theWriterunknown, DragonicSonic,** **Girlyxxx123,** **Girl of Twilight Wings,** **Sora Kim, supersmach, shamelessfangirl, SDF, and every Guest whose name I didn't know. If I forgot anyone I apologize. (Thank you for the late reviewers on my Season 4 fic shejams, Mr.E, Lori Kurono, Oceans 36, Meta-nanite, HopefulHelpful, and UKnowwho. I hope you find your way to this fic and enjoy it as well.) Thank you also to my faithful reviewers (you know who you are). As I said before this is not a particular popular fandom, we need to support each other. Please leave a review or favor/follow or PM to let the writer know they are appreciated.**

**God Bless.**

Don't read this part if you don't want teasers for next season.

0o0

Morris grumbled as he dug through the rubble, the only light being from the flashlight built into his helmet. He didn't know how his brother had talked him into coming here. They were scavengers for sure but if Providence refused to touch this place what made him think there was anything here for them?

They had checked for toxins and radioactivity. When none were found, they illegally began work. After sailing to the island, finding the decimated base was no problem. It was the only thing around for miles.

So far they found some precious metal they could salvage but there was nothing really worth their time. They didn't dare bring heavier equipment. They didn't want to bring Providence down on their heads.

With sour thoughts Morris kicked a metal pipe sticking up from the ground. The floor started shaking.

"Sean!" Morris cried as the rubble underneath him caved in. The frightened man slid down the hole.

When the dust settled he got up. At least the hole let in enough light for him to find the flashlight helmet he had dropped.

"Morris, you down there?" Sean called from above.

"Where else would I be?" Morris asked sarcastically.

"What do you see down there?" His brother yelled.

"Well, right now nothing." Morris walked gingerly around the area. "I'm worried that the roof's gonna collapse on me."

"Looks solid to me. Keep looking. Maybe there's some tech we can salvage and sell. I know a buyer." Sean said.

Morris grumbled. "Some brother. Only thinking about money. Bet he doesn't care if anything happened to me."

The light from his helmet bounced off some glass. The glare momentarily blinded him. He turned his head and saw that it was a tubular encasement. He approached it carefully.

"Hey, Sean. I see something down here."

"What is it?"

"It looks like a glass cylinder with… something in it."

"Well, check it out."

Morris grumbled as he used his hand to brush dust off the panel. He must have accidentally triggered something because the panel lit up. Lights around him also turned on.

"Hey, Sean, something's happening. I think …" A gloved hand had grabbed Morris by the throat and lifted him from the ground.

"Morris! Morris! Morris!" Sean yelled. A force blew through the hole knocking Sean back. Sean pushed himself up. The light that was now coming from the hole was so bright that it lit up the island. Sean couldn't even directly look into the light. His hand shaded his eyes. A humanoid shadow appeared. Sean couldn't make out any of the features of the figure but he started sliding back away from it as it came closer to him.

"No, no, stay back…" Sean said as the figure grabbed him by the front of his shirt. It lifted him up in the air.

Sean got a good look at it.

"No! You're suppose to be dead!"


End file.
